Willie Green's Organic Farm

1.Combine water and 1/4 C. of the sugar in a small heavy saucepan. Bring to simmer, stirring to disolve sugar. Add cherries, stir and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer to soften cherries for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Drain cherries well. Reserve juice for topping ice cream.
2.In a larger pan, combine 2 Tbsp sugar and milk. Stir and bring to a slow simmer. Remove from heat, stir in drained cherries, vanilla, and lavender, cover to keep warm, and set aside for 20 minutes.
3.Beat egg yolks and remaining 1/4 C. sugar until mixture is thick and pale yellow and falls in ribbons from the whisk.
4.Place heavy cream in a large bowl, and nest in a larger bowl of ice.
5.Once milk and fruit have steeped for 20 minutes, return milk to scalding, stirring as it heats. Slowly drizzle about 1/2 cup of hot milk into eggs, while whisking eggs. This is called tempering.
6.Milk must not boil! Scrape tempered eggs into milk while whisking. Cook over moderate heat, gently whisking, nonstop. Remove when the mixture reaches 180 degrees, the custard stage.
7.Pour the hot custard into the cold cream. Stir to cool. Once ice bath melts, place custard in refrigerator to cool the rest of the way.
8.Once custard is cold, process in your ice cream maker according to instructions.
This recipe was modified from one in the China Moon Cookbook.