Royal Cherry Ice Cream

A still-frozen cream, made without eggs or a churn, from the era when an "electric refrigerator" was itself the selling point. Two things need attention: the sugar load and the fact that nothing here gets stirred while it freezes.

• Royal Anne cherriesA pale yellow, red-blushed sweet cherry, commonly sold canned in syrup in the 1920s and 30s. The instruction to add "the syrup from the can" confirms canned fruit is meant; if you use fresh Rainiers, you will need to supply a light syrup yourself.
• The sugar is very highTwo cups of sugar plus canned syrup against only 1 1/2 cups of fruit and 2 cups of cream will read as candy-sweet and may not freeze firm, since sugar depresses the freezing point. Around 3/4 cup is closer to modern practice for this volume.
• "Stir until thick"There is no starch or egg, so thickening means simmering the cherries, syrup, lemon and sugar down to a loose jam-like consistency over medium heat. Watch it near the end; a heavy sugar syrup scorches quickly.
• Cool completely before the cream goes inThis is the hinge. Warm fruit syrup will deflate whipped cream on contact and you lose the aeration that stands in for churning. Chill the cherry mixture to refrigerator temperature first.
• Still-freezing"Put in electric refrigerator" would in this period most likely mean the small freezing compartment of the box, which generally ran warmer than a modern freezer. In a modern freezer the mixture is likely to set hard and grainy overnight; beating it once or twice during the first two hours, or freezing it in an ice cream machine, gives a better texture.
• LemonThe juice of one lemon is roughly 3 tablespoons. It is doing real work here against the canned syrup, so do not omit it.
• ServingEight, as stated, in small dishes. Let it sit at room temperature ten minutes before scooping; a high-sugar still-frozen cream softens fast.