The dish to eat in Ithaca · United States

Ice cream sundae

Name: Cherry sundae
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 2
Cuisine: United States
Ingredients: 2 cups (300 g) pitted sweet or sour cherries, fresh or frozen; 1/3 cup (65 g) sugar (1/2 cup if using sour cherries); 2 tbsp water; 1 tsp lemon juice; 1 tsp cornstarch mixed with 1 tbsp water; 4 large scoops vanilla ice cream; 1/2 cup (120 ml) cold heavy cream, whipped; 2 maraschino or candied cherries

Photo: Daderot, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons · source

Vanilla ice cream with warm cherry syrup, whipped cream and a cherry.

Ithaca says the sundae started here, in an 1892 ad for a 'Cherry Sunday', and the town still eats them all summer.

Where to eat it Cook it at home Have a chef cook it at home

Where to eat it: the best three in Ithaca

Purity Ice Cream
Fall Creek
Order: A sundae
Ithaca's ice cream maker since 1936.
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Cornell Dairy Bar
Cornell campus
Order: A sundae or a cone
Made in the same building from Cornell's own milk.
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Sweet Melissa's Ice Cream Shop
Downtown
Order: A sundae
A classic mom-and-pop scoop shop on Seneca Street.
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All three are on Chef Amazing’s list The best ice cream sundae in Ithaca, which you can save and take with you.

Cook it at home: Cherry sundae

Serves 2Time 20 min

Ithaca's 1892 newspaper ad sold a 'Cherry Sunday': vanilla ice cream under cherry syrup with a candied cherry on top. Make the sauce warm and the ice cream very cold.

Pans and tools

Small saucepan
Ice cream scoop
Whisk or mixer for the cream

You’ll need

2 cups (300 g) pitted sweet or sour cherries, fresh or frozen
1/3 cup (65 g) sugar (1/2 cup if using sour cherries)
2 tbsp water
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp cornstarch mixed with 1 tbsp water
4 large scoops vanilla ice cream
1/2 cup (120 ml) cold heavy cream, whipped
2 maraschino or candied cherries

Steps

Put the cherries, sugar, water and lemon juice in a small pan and bring to a simmer over medium heat.
Cook 5 to 7 minutes, until the cherries soften and give up their juice.
Stir in the cornstarch mix and simmer 1 minute more, until the syrup turns glossy and coats a spoon. Let it cool 5 minutes so it is warm, not hot.
Chill two glasses or bowls for a few minutes in the freezer.
Put two scoops of ice cream in each glass and spoon the warm cherries and syrup over them.
Top with whipped cream and a cherry, and eat at once.

Chef’s tips

The sauce keeps a week in the fridge; warm it before using.

Sour cherries give the old-fashioned tart taste.

Add chopped toasted nuts for crunch.

Contains: ['dairy'].

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