Orange Ice Cream with Dried Cherries and Toasted Pecans

It was just about a year ago when my friend Barbara, at Moveable Feasts posted this recipe for ice cream. I immediately copied it and knew I would make it shortly.  I will admit, the more and more I thought about orange ice cream, the less desirable it sounded.  The Trout kept asking when we were making "that ice cream".  I just could not commit.  Then, after we had decided on duck for Thanksgiving, the orange sounded so good.  First of all, DO NOT let the orange flavor turn you off.  It is very subtle and both of us decided that this ice cream is so very, very good.  Absolutely delightful!!!  It just seemed like such a better idea than pies though I did miss my pecan pie.

So, thank you, Barbara, for posting this a year ago and WOW, did we enjoy it.  Why did I wait so long?

Orange Ice Cream with Dried Cherries and Toasted Pecans
from Moveable Feasts

2 medium navel oranges
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup milk
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
large pinch of salt
5 large egg yolks
1/2 of a vanilla bean split lengthwise (brought this baby home from France)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup dried cherries
1/4 cup orange juice
2 1/2 tablespoons Cointreau
3/4 cup toasted pecans, broken
Toast pecans and set aside.
Soak the cherries in the orange juice and Cointreau for a few hours until soft
Pare off the peel of the oranges and set aside.

Fill a saucepan half way with water and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to a simmer and combine milk, cream, sugars, salt, egg yolks, vanilla bean and orange zest in a glass bowl and set over the simmering water.

Stir mixture constantly until it reaches a temperature between 165 and 180 degrees.  Mixture will thicken somewhat.  Add vanilla and refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.  When you are ready to freeze, pour through a sieve to remove the peel and vanilla bean.  Add half the cherries and ALL of the excess soaking liquid.

Freeze according to directions of your ice cream freezer.  When the mixture is semisolid, add the remaining
cherries and pecans.  Continue freezing with it holds stiff peaks.  I poured into my plastic covered container and it went into the freezer for a day.