Murder with a Cherry on Top

by Cynthia Baxter

  Chocolate Syrup

  1 cup water

  1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

  1½ cups sugar

  dash of salt

  1 teaspoon vanilla

  Boil the water and sugar in a medium-sized saucepan, whisking until the sugar is completely dissolved. Add the cocoa and salt, lower the heat to a simmer, and continue to whisk until the sauce begins to thicken. (This should take about 3 minutes.) Remove the mixture from the stove and stir in the vanilla. Add the crumbled bacon from the previous recipe. Serve over ice cream, either while it’s still hot or after cooling. (Note: The syrup will become even thicker as it cools.)

  Brown-Sugar Bourbon Ice Cream

  Butter, brown sugar, and pecans . . . These are the three delicious main ingredients of luscious pralines, which were first created in New Orleans in the early 1800s. Because bourbon has a naturally nutty flavor, combining it with brown sugar and cream in this recipe recreates the scrumptious flavors of pralines, which is enhanced by the smooth texture of ice cream. Yum!

  To make one quart:

  ¾ cup heavy cream

  1 cup whole milk

  ½ cup (packed) dark brown sugar

  6 egg yolks (preferably large)

  2 tablespoons sugar

  teaspoon kosher salt

  1 tablespoon (or more) bourbon

  ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

  In a medium saucepan, stir the cream, milk, and brown sugar over medium heat until the mixture boils.

  Separately, whisk the egg yolks, sugar, and salt in a bowl until the mixture becomes a pale yellow and the sugar has dissolved.

  Put a medium-sized metal bowl inside a large bowl of ice water, place a fine-mesh sieve over the metal bowl, and set it aside.

  While whisking the yolk mixture in the bowl, add the hot cream mixture gradually. Return the mixture to the saucepan. Stir the custard over low heat for about two minutes, until it becomes thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Immediately strain the custard into the metal bowl that’s sitting in ice water. Let the custard cool completely, stirring it often.

  Once it has cooled, stir the bourbon and the vanilla into the custard. Add more bourbon to taste.

  Cover the mixture and chill it in the refrigerator.

  Process the custard mixture in an ice cream maker. Serve immediately or freeze.

  Black Raspberry Frozen Custard

  What’s the difference between ice cream and frozen custard? It’s simple: frozen custard contains egg yolks. Even though frozen custard may contain as little as 1.4 percent egg yolk by weight, the lecithin that’s present in those egg yolks gives it a creamier texture than ice cream.

  This recipe may not be as good as what you’d get at Kohr’s in Atlantic City, but it’s more than enough to take care of your raspberry cravings!

  To make one quart:

  5 cups black raspberries

  2½ cups heavy cream

  1½ cups whole milk

  1 cup sugar

  pinch of salt

  6 egg yolks (preferably large)

  1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  Puree the raspberries in a blender, then strain the pulverized fruit through a sieve to take out the seeds.

  Pour the cream, milk, sugar and salt into a heavy saucepan and stir together. Heat the mixture until it just starts bubbling at the edges (do not let it get to a full boil).

  Whisk the egg yolks in a bowl made of Pyrex or another heat-proof material. Temper the yolks by gradually adding about a third of the hot cream mixture and mixing it with a whisk. Next, add this mixture to the pot and whisk it all together. (You’ve got custard!)

  Cook the custard over medium-low heat while stirring, taking care not to let it boil. After about five minutes, it should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

  Strain the custard through a sieve, then stir in the vanilla.

  Stir the raspberry puree into the custard until well blended. Cover the custard and refrigerate it overnight or until it’s completely chilled.

  Process the custard mixture in an ice cream maker. Serve immediately or freeze.