I chose this ice cream so that I'd stay the heck out of it, maraschino cherry and dark chocolate not EVEN close to trippin' my trigger. Great choice because I knew it would still be right up Hubs' alley. I scaled this to 8 servings to accomodate my 1-1/2 quart ice cream maker. For added richness, I used my preferred ratio of 2 c. cream to 1 c. of half and half. After I chopped the (high quality) chocolate it reaffirmed for me I had made an excellent choice to keep my spoon out of the bowl - TOO much chocolate, I thought! After mixing in the maraschino cherry juice (which kind of weirded me out) it wasn't quite pink enough for me so I added a couple of drops of red food coloring, just to make it a pretty, soft pink. I thought the amount of almond extract would be too much too, but I thought, "Oh, go for it. Who cares. You're not eating this anyway, and you'll stay true to the recipe for rating purposes." I plodded on. I knew the base would be good - rich, frozen egg custard, just what I grew up with in Wisconsin and adore. I mixed the chocolate and cherries into the ice cream AFTER it was churned, as my ice cream maker warns against any add-ins larger than a chocolate chip. I let the ice cream ripen in the freezer for several hours before I served Hubs his dessert tonight and, strictly because I had to rate it, tried a little spoonful. And then another. And another. Just like a creamy, chocolate covered cherry cordial I thought! This stuff is awesome good.  -  17 Apr 2010  (Review from Allrecipes US | Canada)

This is an incredibly easy recipe to whip up, and the "wows" and "oohs" from family and friends that tried it makes it the most decadent ice cream I have made. I live in Fiji and maraschino cherries are not available. I soaked dried cherries in rum to hydrate, then followed the recipe. I used dark, bittersweet chocolate and chopped it semi fine and added it when the mix cooled. To die for taste and the presentation is beautiful. Thanks for a gourmet treat that can be prepared the day before, for an outstanding dessert treat!  -  22 Apr 2007  (Review from Allrecipes US | Canada)

This makes too much for the typical 1 quart ice cream maker. Be sure to cut down the recipe so you don't have a mess on your hands.  -  25 Jul 2007  (Review from Allrecipes US | Canada)