There are all sorts of lovely cherry toppings for ice cream which, we might add, are also fabulous on cake, cheesecake, pancakes, blintzes, crêpes, waffles, French toast ... the list goes on.
And since summer is cherry season — dark, sweet ones; brightly colored and flavored tart ones (for just a brief, glorious moment); and even golden, blushing Rainiers — this is the perfect time to eat ice cream topped with those gorgeous fruits.
You could make your own maraschino cherries (pronounced mar-ah-SKEEN-o; the h makes it a hard sound), but they’re so easy to buy.
Instead, why not glam them up a bit and make jewel-like Amaretto-Soaked Cherries? This way, you can feed your inner child a hot fudge sundae while still adulting.
Limoncello Cherries are a three-ingredient wonder: cherries and the Italian lemon liqueur, obviously, plus some lemon zest. But, as they say, the sum is infinitely greater than its parts.
(And FYI: both the Amaretto and the Limoncello cherries are stellar in cocktails ... just sayin’.)
Cherry Caramel Sauce is a simple topping with a surprising depth of flavor. Quickly made with golden, burnished sugar and rich cream, it is pure alchemy.
Roasted Cherries are softened and sweetened by their short stint in the oven. Drizzles of honey and brandy make them tantalizingly fragrant and fabulous.
Last but certainly not (never!) least, Double Cherry Chocolate Sauce immerses both fresh and dried cherries into a sublimely smooth and satisfying finishing touch for a scoop.
So when we’re asked if we want nuts and whipped cream on our ice cream, of course we say, “Yes, please!”
And for sure, we absolutely want all the cherries on top.
Amaretto-Soaked Cherries
Zest of ½ lemon
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
⅝ cup water
½ cup sugar
1 cup pitted sweet cherries
1 tablespoon Amaretto
Combine the zest, lemon juice, water, and sugar in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring the mixture up to a boil to dissolve the sugar and allow to boil gently for one minute.
Pack the cherries into a half-pint jar and add the Amaretto. Ladle the hot syrup into the jar and seal with a lid.
Yield: About 1 cup
Limoncello Cherries
1 pint fresh sweet cherries, pitted
Limoncello (Italian lemon liqueur)
Finely zested peel of 1 lemon
Layer the cherries into a clean pint jar along with the lemon zest. Fit the cherries into the jar as tightly as possible without squishing them too much; you don't want mangled cherries.
Fill the jar to the brim with Limoncello, making sure to completely cover the cherries. Cap tightly and refrigerate for at least a couple of days of soaking; they get even better over time.
Note: To keep the stems intact, pit the cherries from the side rather than from the top.
Yield: 1 pint
Cherry Caramel Sauce
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
Kosher salt
¼ cup water
2 cups fresh sweet cherries, pitted and halved
5 tablespoons heavy cream
Combine the sugar, corn syrup, a pinch of salt, and water in a heavy-duty 4-quart saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking frequently, until the sugar is dissolved, 4 to 5 minutes.
Raise the heat to high and bring to a boil, brushing down the sides of the pan with a damp pastry brush to dissolve any sugar crystals. Boil, without whisking, until the mixture begins to color. Continue to cook, swirling the pan for even caramelization, until the caramel turns dark brown, about 7 minutes.
Immediately remove the saucepan from the heat. Quickly add the cherries and cream — be careful, the mixture will spatter. Set the saucepan over low heat and cook, whisking constantly, until the caramel is completely fluid with no lumps, about 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk to cool for a couple of minutes.
Serve immediately.
Yield: 1½ pints
Roasted Cherries
7 ounces cherries (Rainier variety, if you can get them), halved and stoned
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons brandy (optional)
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
Knob of butter
Preheat the oven to 400F.
Arrange the halved cherries on a roasting tray with the cut sides facing up.
Drizzle with the honey, brandy (if using), and vanilla, then dot small flecks of the butter around the dish. Roast for 10 to 15 minutes or until the fruit begins to color a little.
Yield: About 1½ cups
Double Cherry Chocolate Sauce
½ cup dried cherries
6 tablespoons butter
1 4-ounce semisweet chocolate bar
1½ cups powdered sugar
½ cup half-and-half
1½ teaspoons vanilla
1 cup sweet cherries, pitted, quartered
In a medium bowl, cover cherries with boiling water; let stand for 5 minutes. Drain well.
Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, melt butter and chocolate over medium-low heat, stirring constantly. Whisk in the powdered sugar, half-and-half, and vanilla until smooth. Stir in the fresh and soaked cherries.
Let cool a bit before serving.
Yield: 2½ cups
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