This Bourbon Cherry Caramel Ice Cream is a smooth, rich caramel ice cream with a homemade cherry jam swirl and Bourbon soaked cherries! Absolute magic happens when you pair salted caramel with Bourbon and cherries
Mix all ingredients, cover and let macerate for at least 2 hours.
Strain. Reserve the liquid for cocktails, or pour into the ice cream base!
Make the Cherry Jam:
Combine all ingredients in a medium pot and cook on medium low until very thick. Cool.
Make the Ice Cream
Make sure you freeze the freezer bowl for your ice cream maker overnight! I just keep mine in the freezer at all times – you never know when you’ll have an ice cream emergency and I don’t like to be unprepared.
In a large pot combine cream, milk, salt and 1 cup sugar to the pot and bring to a boil.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Whisk until a pale yellow, set aside.
While your cream mixture heats make your dry caramel with the remaining 2 cups of sugar.
Put 2 cups sugar in a pot or large saute pan (the bigger the better, then the sugar will be more spread out and heat evenly). Cook over medium high heat until the sugar begins to melt and caramelize in places. Gently stir with a wooden spoon or swirl the pot to promote even heating. Don’t worry about some crystals, they’ll melt back in. Take the caramel to a very dark amber – just after the caramel begins to smoke, pour it into the warmed heating cream mixture. If it seizes, don’t worry, it will dissolve into the hot cream eventually. Once it comes to a boil you are going to temper into the egg yolks.
Temper the Egg Yolks: Add ¼ cup of the boiling cream mixture slowly to the eggs while constantly whisking. Once that has been incorporated, add another ½ cup of the cream mixture in a steady stream while whisking. Add the egg yolk mixture to the sauce pan with the remaining cream mixture. Stir constantly with a spatula or wooden spoon until the mixture thickens and it coats the back of the spoon or reads 180°F on an instant read thermometer. It will hold a line when you draw your finger through it. This took approximately 5 minutes. Do not let the mixture boil.
Remove from heat, whisk in the vanilla and pour into a large bowl, cover surface with plastic wrap and chill 4 hours or overnight.
Place your container to hold the ice cream in the freezer. Turn on the ice cream maker and pour the cream mixture into the moving, frozen bowl. Churn 25-30 minutes or until the ice cream is soft and creamy. It will look like soft serve.
Place the ice cream in the container, swirl in the cherries and jam. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours or more.