Stirred Lemon Ice Cream with Fresh Cherries

Serves 4 to 6

This is old-fashioned ice cream from a time when many people didn't have any sort of ice cream machine. All you do is stir. First, stir the ingredients together. Then stir occasionally as they freeze.

Serve ice cream slightly softened along with the fresh cherries. In the center of the table, have a basket of cherries and a bowl of cool water. Everyone dips the cherries in the water to rinse them before eating.

Lemon and Cherry Tips: Organic lemons are especially important here since you're using the zest as well as the juice.

With cherries, always taste before buying, and buy organic if at all possible. The best-flavored and most readily available cherries I've found over the past couple of years have been Royal Anns and Lamberts. Morellos are tart and great for pies.

4 teaspoons grated lemon zest (from about 1 1/2 large lemons)
1/2 cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups sugar
1 quart heavy cream
1 to 1 1/2 pounds ripe cherries

1. In a plastic container, stir together the zest, juice, salt, and sugar until completely blended. Stir in cream.

2. Cover and freeze about an hour, or until mushy. Stir with a fork, freeze another hour or so until mushy, and stir again. Repeat this one more time and freeze until firm.

3. Transfer the ice cream to soften in the refrigerator about an hour before serving. Then spoon into individual bowls. Serve with the cherries on the side.

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