sour cherry swirl

1. In a medium saucepan, blend cherries with an immersion blender until mostly smooth. Alternatively, puree cherries in a food processor for about 30 seconds and transfer to the saucepan.
2. Stir in sugar, lemon juice and salt. Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula to prevent scorching, about 5 minutes. Continue to boil and cook down the mixture, stirring, until it reaches 224°F, another 6- 7 minutes.
3. Let cool about 5 minutes then strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve, pressing on the solids with rubber spatula to extract excess syrup (use cheesecloth if you want an extra smooth puree). Stir in almond extract, cover and refrigerate overnight, or until very cold.

oatmeal ice cream

1. In a small skillet over medium low heat, lightly toast oats until fragrant and just starting to brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a food processor, pulse about 10 times, or until oats are roughly chopped but not pureed. Transfer to a bowl and stir in heavy cream. Cover and steep in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, or overnight for maximum flavor.
2. After steeping, pour mixture through a fine mesh sieve placed over the bowl of a stand mixer, and use a spoon to gently press remaining cream out of the solids. Discard the leftover oats.
3. Add vanilla and almond extracts to the cream and return bowl to stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whip cream on medium speed for 3- 5 minutes, or until it’s thick enough to hold stiff peaks (the oatmeal will accelerate this process so it watch closely). Transfer whipped cream to a large bowl, cover and refrigerate. Rinse whisk attachment and mixer bowl.
4. Use a fork to quickly mix together eggs, sugar and salt in a heatproof bowl. Fill a large saucepan with a few inches of water and set the bowl on top to create a double boiler. Bring the water to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and make sure the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Stir and scrape mixture continuously with a rubber spatula until it reaches 160°F, about 5 minutes. Strain through a fine mesh sieve placed over the bowl of a stand mixer to remove any bits of cooked egg. Return bowl to the stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and whip on high speed until very thick, foamy and more than quadrupled in size, 5- 8 minutes.
5. Use a wide, flexible spatula to fold in whipped cream, being careful not to deflate the egg base, until fully incorporated. Put bowl in the freezer for 2- 3 hours, or until the ice cream is about half frozen.
6. Scoop a quarter of the mixture into a large, non reactive pan or dish (see note above), then use a spoon to generously drizzle the sour cherry syrup across the surface. Cover the syrup with another quarter of the ice cream base, then drizzle surface with more syrup. Repeat this layering process two more times. Cover the pan and freeze for 6- 8 hours, or until firm and fully frozen.