Cherry Gelato (Great for Valentine's Day)

by Casa Cebadillas
(Torrox Pueblo, Spain)

1/2 vanilla bean -- halved lengthwise
3 1/2 cups whole milk
1 pinch salt
1/2 cup turbinado sugar -- such as Sugar in the Raw
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 pound Bing cherries -- (1 1/2 cups) pitted (do not use frozen)
2 tablespoons turbinado sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
Special Equipment: -- an ice cream maker

MAKE THE GELATO BASE: Scrape seeds from vanilla bean into a small heavy saucepan. Add milk and salt and bring just to a boil; remove from the heat.

Whisk together sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl. Add 1/2 cup hot milk mixture to sugar mixture, whisking until smooth, and whisk into remaining milk mixture in saucepan. Bring to a simmer, whisking, and simmer, whisking, for 3 minutes.

Pour mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a metal bowl. Refrigerate, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until cool, about 1 hour, then cover and refrigerate until very cold, 3 to 6 hours.

MEANWHILE, PREPARE THE CHERRIES: pulse cherries with sugar and extracts in a food processor until finely chopped. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate, covered, for 1 hour.

MAKE THE GELATO: Stir cherries, with their juices, into gelato base. Freeze in an ice cream maker. Transfer gelato to an airtight container and put in freezer to harden for at least 2 hours.

The gelato keeps for up to 1 week.

Makes about 5 cups (10 one-half cup servings).