Frozen Cherry Treats – 3 Ways

Categories : desserts & sweet snacks, easy peasy, no bake sweets, Recipes

Three frozen treats with deliciously sweet cherries, perfect for these warm June days. A no-churn vanilla ice cream with roasted cherries and dark chocolate chips, a cherry sorbet (granita) with mastic liqueur, and low sugar popsicles with Greek yoghurt and cherry chia jam.

Frozen Cherry Treats – 3 Ways www.thefoodiecorner.gr Photo description: A top view of a tub of vanilla ice crea, with cherries and bits of chocolate showing on the surface. The tub is wrapped in a linen tea towel which is tied in a knot on the side. Half visible are two wafer cones with some of the ice cream inside.

Three recipes in one blog post today! A small token of apology for my recent disappearing acts. I know I’ve been away from here too much and I hate it. Please bear with me though, and I’ll be back on track soon!

Frozen Cherry Treats – 3 Ways www.thefoodiecorner.gr Photo description: Top view of a wafer cone with ice cream lying on its side on a stone surface. To the top of the photo a few cherries, and to the bottom some chopped dark chocolate.

So, shall we take a look at these babies? First off, an easy, no-churn vanilla ice cream with roasted cherries and chunks of dark chocolate. A combination that immediately grabbed my attention and so I had to try it. Delish.

Frozen Cherry Treats – 3 Ways www.thefoodiecorner.gr Photo description: two wafer cones with ice cream, one of them half visible lying on the stone surface. The other is tipped into a small bowl. Some cherries and chopped chocolate are scattered around to the left of the photo.

Next comes a granita (sorbet) made with cherries and the incredibly fragrant mastic liqueur that is really popular here in Greece (mastic – a tree resin – can only be produced in one specific area of Greece, the island of Chios!). Find the liqueur online and keep it in the freezer for a delicious digestif. Or make lots of this granita with it!

Check out the biodegradable, fully compostable, natural wheat straws! I urge you to look for alternatives to classic plastic straws, as they are fast becoming a huge problem for the environment.

Frozen Cherry Treats – 3 Ways www.thefoodiecorner.gr Photo description: A closer view of the glasses of sorbet, decorated with cucumber, lemon, a cherry and a biodegradable natural wheat straw.

Frozen Cherry Treats – 3 Ways www.thefoodiecorner.gr Photo description: An enamel baking dish full of cherry sorbet, with an ice cream scoop lying in it. To the top left some lemons and leaves, and to the bottom some cherries.

Last but definitely not least, popsicles made with Greek yoghurt and the easiest jam you’ve ever made. Cherry and chia jam. The only sweetener in this recipe is a small amount of honey. So these guys qualify as breakfast too!

Frozen Cherry Treats – 3 Ways www.thefoodiecorner.gr Photo description: Another, closer view of the stripy coloured popsicles lying on a stone surface amongst ice cubes and cherries.

And I’ll leave you with a question. What kind of recipes would you like to see more of here on The Foodie Corner? Please help me out with some ideas! Either here in the comments, or by email or on Facebook and Instagram. I’m reachable everywhere and open to suggestions!

Frozen Cherry Treats – 3 Ways www.thefoodiecorner.gr Photo description: Four muffin shaped popsicles lying on some giant ice cubes in a metal loaf pan.

In the meantime, grab a cherry pitter and make something frozen!

Ingredients

For the Vanilla Ice Cream with Roasted Cherries and Dark Chocolate Chips
450gr cherries (weighed with pits)
200ml whipping cream, full fat, cold
100gr cream cheese, softened
400gr sweetened condensed milk
1 Tbs vanilla extract
125gr dark chocolate chips, or chopped dark chocolate (choose a good quality chocolate here)

For the Cherry Granita with Mastic Liqueur
500gr cherries (weighed with pits)
700gr sugar
160ml water
2 Tbs mastic liqueur + extra to serve (very cold)
1 Tbs lemon juice, freshly squeezed
cherries to garnish
cucumber slices to garnish

For the Greek Yoghurt and Cherry Chia Jam Popsicles
500gr cherries (weighed with pits)
1 Tbs water
2 Tbs + 2 tsp honey
2 Tbs chia seeds
400gr Greek yoghurt

Step 1

For the Vanilla Ice Cream with Roasted Cherries and Dark Chocolate Chips

Preheat the oven to 160C fan assisted (180C conventional) and pit the cherries. Line a baking tray with grease proof paper, scatter the cherries on it and roast them for about 10 minutes or until softened. Set aside to cool.

Whip the cream until it forms stiff peaks. In a separate bowl whip the cream cheese with the sweetened condensed milk and the vanilla extract. Fold in the cream and mix gently until incorporated.

Fold the cherries (along with any juices they released – if they did so) and the chocolate into the cream mixture. Transfer the mixture to a suitable container and freeze.

To serve, remove the container from the freezer 15 to 30 minutes earlier in order for the ice cream to soften.

Step 2

For the Cherry Granita with Mastic Liqueur

Pit the cherries. Bring the sugar and water to the boil in a small saucepan and stir until the sugar has melted. Set aside to cool.

In the food processor or blender whizz the cherries with the mastic liqueur and the lemon for a few seconds. Add the cooled syrup and blend till smooth (if the syrup is still warm watch it doesn’t overflow). Refrigerate the mixture for a few hours and then churn it in an ice cream maker according to instructions. Transfer to a suitable container and freeze. It won’t solidify completely due to the alcohol.

Serve in glasses with a spoon or straw and garnish with cherries and slices of cucumber. Add some extra liqueur to each glass (optional but very nice!).

Step 3

Greek Yoghurt and Cherry Chia Jam Popsicles

Pit the cherries and transfer them to a small saucepan with one tablespoon of water. Heat over medium/high and when they start to sizzle turn the heat down. Cover and let them simmer until they soften and release their juices, about 15 minutes.

When the cherries are soft break them up with a wooden spoon. Add the two tablespoons of honey, stir well and add the chia seeds. Stir and set aside. As it cools it will thicken thanks to these magic seeds.

Mix the Greek yoghurt with the two teaspoons of honey. Fill individual popsicle moulds with alternating layers of yoghurt and jam. Freeze until firm.

Tip: A great alternative to popsicle moulds are muffin moulds (the larger popsicles in the photos were in muffin moulds). Especially the silicone ones, since they are a doddle to unmould. You’ll have to get lolly sticks if you use this method.