Candied-Sour-Cherry Yoghurt Ice Cream

This works well with yellow or black cherries but sour cherries make this an especially refreshing ice cream. 
I was a little short of sour cherries, so I used black cherry jam for decoration. It tastes nice but is a little sweet in comparison to the ice cream.

What you need:

• 500 g sour cherries, pits removed
• 200 g sugar
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 small glass of Kirsch (optional)
• 200 ml double cream
• 100g caster or fine sugar
• (optionally 20 g dextrose with 80 g sugar: dextrose is supposed to make the ice cream smoother)
• 1 small glass of Amaretto (bitter almond liqueur)
• 350 ml Greek yoghurt

What you do:

1. To candy the sour cherries, pit them make sure to catch the juice, then put them in a pan with the sugar, the lemon and the kirsch and boil until the mixture sets. A dash on a chilled plate throws folds when you push your finger into it (see “Caroline’s Sloe Jelly”).
2. Allow to cool, then purée half in a blender, save the rest.
3. In the meantime warm the cream and add the sugar, stirring until it is completely dissolved , then add the Amaretto.
4. Stir in the yoghurt and the puréed cherries and mix thoroughly.
5. Chill for about an hour in the freezer, then add the rest of the candied cherries, keeping a few for decoration.
6. If you have an ice cream maker, pour the mixture in and let it churn until you have a slightly soft ice-creamy mixture. 
7. Put it in the a container and freeze. (If you haven’t got an ice-cream maker, you need to whisk the mixture several times in about 2 hour intervals to keep the ice cream smooth and to break up ice crystals, which would form otherwise.)

Serve with a sprig of lemon balm or peppermint.