Cherry Ice Cream

1. Ensure your ice cream canister has been in the freezer for at least 24 hours.

FOR THE ROASTED CHERRIES:

1. Preheat the oven to 400° F.
2. If you're using fresh cherries, rinse them under cold water, remove the stems and cut the cherries in half. Remove the pits and discard them.
3. In a medium bowl, combine the sugar and cornstarch and whisk together until evenly blended. Add the cherries and toss to coat. Transfer the cherry mixture to a rimmed baking sheet and spread evenly into one layer.
4. Bake the cherries for 20-25 minutes until they're slumped and syrupy. Remove from the oven and transfer the cherries to an airtight container. Chill in the refrigerator. (You can make the roasted cherries up to 4 days ahead of time).

FOR THE CHERRY ICE CREAM:

1. Reserve 2 tablespoons of milk in a separate prep bowl and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese and salt together until smooth. Set aside.
3. Combine the remaining milk , cream, sugar and corn syrup in a 4-quart saucepan over medium high heat. Stirring constantly, bring the milk mixture to a rolling boil. Cook and stir for 4 minutes. Remove from the heat.
4. Whisk the reserved milk with the cornstarch and stir to form a slurry. Whisk the slurry into the cooked milk mixture and return to the heat. Bring the pot back to a boil, stirring constantly for one minute until it thickens.
5. Add ¼ cup of the hot milk to the cream cheese and beat until smooth. Continue adding the remaining hot milk mixture to the cream cheese until it's well blended and smooth.
6. Stir in the Amaretto. Cover the ice cream base with plastic wrap and refrigerate until it's very cold.

TO CHURN THE CHERRY ICE CREAM:

1. Set up your ice cream maker according to the manufacturers instructions.
2. Add the ice cream base to the canister and start the machine. Churn for about 20-25 minutes until it's soft serve consistency.
3. Drain the liquid from the cherries (you can reserve the liquid to drizzle over a bowl of the ice cream) and add them to the ice cream. Churn for 5-6 minutes more.
4. The ice cream will be a soft serve consistency and can be enjoyed straight from the container.
5. For firmer ice cream, transfer the mixture to a freezer safe container and freeze until solid, 4 hours or overnight. Makes 1 quart of ice cream.