Yield: 1 quart

Thanks are due, once again, to Wheeler del Torro, author of The Vegan Scoop, for his vegan ice cream formula that I enjoy endlessly adapting. This flavor combination was inspired by a day trip with my friend Katherine last week to Currituck County in North Carolina. On our way to visit Harbinger Lavender Farm, we stopped at Morris Farm Market where I purchased beautiful ruby-red fresh cherries for a song. Our trip even yielded the little stainless steel ice cream bowl in the photo. I bought two mismatched ones at an antique store for half price.

1 cup unsweetened soy milk, divided into 1/4 cup and 3/4 cup
2 tablespoons arrowroot powder
2 cups plain soy creamer (I used French Vanilla, but plain would be delicious too)
3/4 granulated or raw sugar (you might need 1 cup if cherries are really tart)
2 cups fresh cherries, stemmed, pitted, and pureed in a food processor until almost smooth
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips
approximately 1/2 cup chopped almonds (lightly toast them if you like)

In a small bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup soy milk and arrowroot powder until smooth. Set aside. Place the remaining 3/4 cup of soy milk, soy creamer, sugar and pureed cherries into a medium saucepan and bring just to a boil, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and quickly whisk in soy milk-arrowroot mixture until very smooth followed by the vanilla extract. Allow to cool to room temperature, whisk again if lumps remain, and then cover and refrigerate several hours or overnight until thoroughly chilled. Whisk to remove any remaining lumps and then freeze according to your ice cream maker’s instructions. (I use a Cusinart electric ice cream maker.) When ice cream is almost frozen, pour in chocolate chips and almonds and continue freezing so that they are well distributed. Scrape ice cream into an airtight container and store in freezer.