foodie adventures: grilled cherry milkshakes

it's cherry season, y'all!  do yourself a favor and make these milkshakes.  they are pretty much everything.

if you haven't tried steve's bourbon vanilla ice cream, do yourself a favor and go get some at whole foods - this is not generic, boring vanilla ice cream!  it has a depth of flavor that is the perfect compliment to the roasted cherries.

grilled cherry milkshakes

ingredients:

1 1/2 cups fresh cherries, pitted with stems removed
1/2 teaspoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups vanilla bean ice cream
1 cup milk

directions:

preheat grill.  toss cherries with olive oil and salt then place on a grill pan until soft and caramelized, turning once or twice while they cook. let cool. (this can be done ahead of time!)  puree in a blender (alternatively, you can puree them with the ingredients below, but if you do it this way, you can also have cherry sauce to pour over the top - bonus!).

to make shakes, combine ice cream and milk in a blender and puree until smooth.   pour cherry sauce into the bottom of a glass, then top with the milkshake and stir.