Cool Desserts
During the hot summer months, is there anything better than Cool Desserts? Maybe, maybe not.
Here are six cool desserts to help you through the day, including Ginger-Peach Sorbet and Cranberry Ice. Enjoy!
STRAWBERRY SORBET
This comes from Amanda Hesser in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. The recipe begins, “This mouthwatering summer sorbet is an adaptation of one served at the River Café in London. Yes, it calls for an entire lemon (rind and all), but trust us: the sweet of the strawberries and sugar, the tart and bitter of the lemon – it all works together beautifully.”
Yield: Makes 1-1/2 quarts; Time: 10 minutes.
This was featured in “The Arsenal” and can be viewed online here.
By the way, I highly recommend The Times’ Melissa Clark’s “How to Make Ice Cream”. I dare you to check it out and not want to immediately start making ice cream!
Ingredients
1 whole lemon, seeded and roughly chopped
2 cups sugar
2 pounds strawberries, hulled
Juice of 1 to 2 lemons
Preparation
Place the chopped lemon and sugar in a food processor, and pulse until combined. Transfer to a bowl.
Purée the strawberries in a food processor, and add to the lemon mixture, along with the juice of 1 lemon. Taste and add more juice as desired. The lemon flavor should be intense but should not overpower the strawberries. Pour the mixture into an ice cream machine and churn until frozen.
GINGER-PEACH SORBET
This is from page 46 of the July/August 2012 issue of Vegetarian Times. The recipe states, “Fresh peaches, lightly cooked with a bit of sugar and fresh, spicy ginger, play double duty. Pulse the frozen cubes in the food processor with a splash of Prosecco and you have a light, flaky sorbet. Thaw the cubes, omit the prosecco, and use the mixture as a topper for ice cream or angel food cake.” Serves 6.
Ingredients:
6 very ripe medium peaches (3 lb.)
1/4 cup sugar
4-1/4-inch-thick coins fresh ginger
2 Tbs. lemon juice
2 tsp. grated lemon zest
6 Tbs. Prosecco or white wine
Directions:
Score X on bottom of each peach. Place in bowl, and cover with boiling water. Let stand 10 minutes. Drain, and rinse under cold water. Remove skins and pits, and chop.
Bring peaches, sugar, ginger, lemon juice, and lemon zest to a boil in saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 5 minutes, or until peaches are soft.
Remove ginger, transfer peach mixture to food processor, and blend until smooth. Cool.
Pour cooled sauce into 6 1/2-cup silicone molds or muffin pan cups. Press plastic wrap over surface of molds to seal out air. Freeze 4 hours, or until completely solid, then transfer to freezer bag to store.
To make sorbet: Pulse frozen cubes and Prosecco in food processor until smooth. Transfer to freezer-safe container, and freeze until ready to serve.
nutritional information Per 1/2-cup serving: Calories: 121; Protein: 2 g; Total Fat: less than 1 g; Saturated Fat: less than 1 g; Carbohydrates: 28 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: less than 1 mg; Fiber: 3 g; Sugar: 25 g; Vegan; Gluten-Free
HAWAII-STYLE SHERBET
This is from Neale Asato and adapted by Ligaya Mishan at The New York Times cooking enewsletter. For this recipe, Ligaya wrote, "Sherbet is lusher than sorbet, more ethereal than ice cream. This recipe — a creamy, frozen concoction of soda and condensed milk, no ice-cream maker required — comes from Neale Asato, who runs the Asato Family Shop, a cult favorite in Honolulu. For people in Hawaii, Mr. Asato’s sherbet is a nostalgic callback to guri-guri (goodie-goodie), the nearly century-old specialty at Tasaka Guri Guri on Maui. Mr. Asato’s version for home cooks is easy and fun to make: Bring strawberry soda to a boil (you can do it in the microwave), add a packet of gelatin as a stabilizer, stir in condensed milk and spike with vanilla extract. Freeze to a slush, then whip on high speed, letting in the air until it expands, a pink cloud rising. Mix in more strawberry soda (and evaporated milk, if you have it on hand, to temper some of the sweetness), then freeze again. Break out an ice-cream scoop. Shiver."
Time: 20 minutes, plus at least 14 hours’ freezing; Yield: About 9 cups/18 servings
This was featured in "A Dessert Recipe So Good, I Was Sworn to Secrecy", and can be viewed online at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1024322-hawaii-style-sherbet.
Ingredients
3 (12-ounce) cans strawberry soda (or the soda flavor of your choice), 1 at room temperature and 2 chilled
1 (3-ounce) box strawberry Jell-O (or the Jell-O flavor of your choice, matching your selected soda flavor)
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk (optional; see Tip)
Preparation
Bring the contents of the can of room-temperature strawberry soda to a boil, either in a microwave in a medium, microwave-safe bowl for 2 to 3 minutes, or in a medium saucepan on the stovetop.
Remove from heat and whisk in dry Jell-O mix until thoroughly dissolved, then whisk in condensed milk and vanilla extract until well combined.
Refrigerate, uncovered, overnight, or freeze for 2 to 3 hours, until thickened. When it’s ready, it will have a texture akin to a loose jelly.
Whisk the mixture using an electric hand or stand mixer on high speed for 3 to 7 minutes, until it starts to lighten in color and almost doubles in volume. (If you do not have an electric mixer, whisk by hand for about 10 minutes.) Whipping the gelatin helps to stabilize the mixture and introduces tiny air bubbles, which make it less icy once frozen, and easier to scoop.
Turn the speed to low and stir in the remaining 2 chilled cans of strawberry soda, followed by the evaporated milk (if using).
Transfer the mixture to a container with a lid or cover with plastic wrap. Freeze overnight or for at least 12 hours before scooping and serving.
Tip
Evaporated milk is optional, but adds a nice milky flavor and tempers some of the sweetness.
CRANBERRY ICE
I'm not sure where this came from, other than that infamous long-since-forgotten emailing list. This one begins, “Lovely citrus lends flavor to tart cranberries in this refreshing sorbet that can be served up for dessert, as a palate cleanser between meals or to liven up turkey in place of cranberry sauce.”
Ingredients
2 (12 ounce) packages fresh cranberries
2 cups white sugar
1-1/4 cups fresh orange juice
1 cup fresh lemon juice
Instructions
In a large pot, add cranberries and enough water to cover. Boil until cranberries begin to pop. Drain and put through a food mill placed over a large bowl.
While still warm add sugar to dissolve in the warm berries. The amount of sugar may vary depending on the tartness of the berries, so if you decide to add more sugar remember that the mixture will be tarter when it has been frozen.
After dissolving the sugar in the berries, stir in fresh squeezed orange juice and fresh squeezed lemon juice. Pour in 8 or 9 inch square pan and freeze overnight. Take out of the freezer 5-10 minutes before cutting.
LEMON BLUEBERRY SORBET
This is also from a long-since-forgotten emailing list. It begins, “Lemon verbena enhances the lemon flavor of this blueberry sorbet. The rum is optional. The recipe calls for frozen blueberries, so you can make it year-round.”
Yield: 4 servings.
Ingredients
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup whole lemon verbena leaves
1 bag frozen blueberries (14 to 16 ounces)
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
2 Tablespoons lemon-flavored rum (optional)
Preparation
Put sugar and lemon verbena in a food processor and process 30 seconds. Add frozen blueberries and process 1 minute.
With the processor on, pour lemon juice and rum, if using, through the feed tube; process until smooth.
Serve sorbet immediately, or transfer to a covered bowl and keep in freezer (soften slightly before serving, if necessary).
LEMON SORBET
Here’s another recipe from that infamous long-since-forgotten emailing list. Makes 8 servings.
Ingredients
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon zest
Preparation
In a small saucepan, bring the water and the sugar to a boil, stirring the mixture to dissolve the sugar. Add the lemon juice and zest to the sugar syrup and freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Here are six cool desserts to help you through the day, including Ginger-Peach Sorbet and Cranberry Ice. Enjoy!
STRAWBERRY SORBET
This comes from Amanda Hesser in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. The recipe begins, “This mouthwatering summer sorbet is an adaptation of one served at the River Café in London. Yes, it calls for an entire lemon (rind and all), but trust us: the sweet of the strawberries and sugar, the tart and bitter of the lemon – it all works together beautifully.”
Yield: Makes 1-1/2 quarts; Time: 10 minutes.
This was featured in “The Arsenal” and can be viewed online here.
By the way, I highly recommend The Times’ Melissa Clark’s “How to Make Ice Cream”. I dare you to check it out and not want to immediately start making ice cream!
Ingredients
1 whole lemon, seeded and roughly chopped
2 cups sugar
2 pounds strawberries, hulled
Juice of 1 to 2 lemons
Preparation
Place the chopped lemon and sugar in a food processor, and pulse until combined. Transfer to a bowl.
Purée the strawberries in a food processor, and add to the lemon mixture, along with the juice of 1 lemon. Taste and add more juice as desired. The lemon flavor should be intense but should not overpower the strawberries. Pour the mixture into an ice cream machine and churn until frozen.
GINGER-PEACH SORBET
This is from page 46 of the July/August 2012 issue of Vegetarian Times. The recipe states, “Fresh peaches, lightly cooked with a bit of sugar and fresh, spicy ginger, play double duty. Pulse the frozen cubes in the food processor with a splash of Prosecco and you have a light, flaky sorbet. Thaw the cubes, omit the prosecco, and use the mixture as a topper for ice cream or angel food cake.” Serves 6.
Ingredients:
6 very ripe medium peaches (3 lb.)
1/4 cup sugar
4-1/4-inch-thick coins fresh ginger
2 Tbs. lemon juice
2 tsp. grated lemon zest
6 Tbs. Prosecco or white wine
Directions:
Score X on bottom of each peach. Place in bowl, and cover with boiling water. Let stand 10 minutes. Drain, and rinse under cold water. Remove skins and pits, and chop.
Bring peaches, sugar, ginger, lemon juice, and lemon zest to a boil in saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 5 minutes, or until peaches are soft.
Remove ginger, transfer peach mixture to food processor, and blend until smooth. Cool.
Pour cooled sauce into 6 1/2-cup silicone molds or muffin pan cups. Press plastic wrap over surface of molds to seal out air. Freeze 4 hours, or until completely solid, then transfer to freezer bag to store.
To make sorbet: Pulse frozen cubes and Prosecco in food processor until smooth. Transfer to freezer-safe container, and freeze until ready to serve.
nutritional information Per 1/2-cup serving: Calories: 121; Protein: 2 g; Total Fat: less than 1 g; Saturated Fat: less than 1 g; Carbohydrates: 28 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: less than 1 mg; Fiber: 3 g; Sugar: 25 g; Vegan; Gluten-Free
HAWAII-STYLE SHERBET
This is from Neale Asato and adapted by Ligaya Mishan at The New York Times cooking enewsletter. For this recipe, Ligaya wrote, "Sherbet is lusher than sorbet, more ethereal than ice cream. This recipe — a creamy, frozen concoction of soda and condensed milk, no ice-cream maker required — comes from Neale Asato, who runs the Asato Family Shop, a cult favorite in Honolulu. For people in Hawaii, Mr. Asato’s sherbet is a nostalgic callback to guri-guri (goodie-goodie), the nearly century-old specialty at Tasaka Guri Guri on Maui. Mr. Asato’s version for home cooks is easy and fun to make: Bring strawberry soda to a boil (you can do it in the microwave), add a packet of gelatin as a stabilizer, stir in condensed milk and spike with vanilla extract. Freeze to a slush, then whip on high speed, letting in the air until it expands, a pink cloud rising. Mix in more strawberry soda (and evaporated milk, if you have it on hand, to temper some of the sweetness), then freeze again. Break out an ice-cream scoop. Shiver."
Time: 20 minutes, plus at least 14 hours’ freezing; Yield: About 9 cups/18 servings
This was featured in "A Dessert Recipe So Good, I Was Sworn to Secrecy", and can be viewed online at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1024322-hawaii-style-sherbet.
Ingredients
3 (12-ounce) cans strawberry soda (or the soda flavor of your choice), 1 at room temperature and 2 chilled
1 (3-ounce) box strawberry Jell-O (or the Jell-O flavor of your choice, matching your selected soda flavor)
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk (optional; see Tip)
Preparation
Bring the contents of the can of room-temperature strawberry soda to a boil, either in a microwave in a medium, microwave-safe bowl for 2 to 3 minutes, or in a medium saucepan on the stovetop.
Remove from heat and whisk in dry Jell-O mix until thoroughly dissolved, then whisk in condensed milk and vanilla extract until well combined.
Refrigerate, uncovered, overnight, or freeze for 2 to 3 hours, until thickened. When it’s ready, it will have a texture akin to a loose jelly.
Whisk the mixture using an electric hand or stand mixer on high speed for 3 to 7 minutes, until it starts to lighten in color and almost doubles in volume. (If you do not have an electric mixer, whisk by hand for about 10 minutes.) Whipping the gelatin helps to stabilize the mixture and introduces tiny air bubbles, which make it less icy once frozen, and easier to scoop.
Turn the speed to low and stir in the remaining 2 chilled cans of strawberry soda, followed by the evaporated milk (if using).
Transfer the mixture to a container with a lid or cover with plastic wrap. Freeze overnight or for at least 12 hours before scooping and serving.
Tip
Evaporated milk is optional, but adds a nice milky flavor and tempers some of the sweetness.
CRANBERRY ICE
I'm not sure where this came from, other than that infamous long-since-forgotten emailing list. This one begins, “Lovely citrus lends flavor to tart cranberries in this refreshing sorbet that can be served up for dessert, as a palate cleanser between meals or to liven up turkey in place of cranberry sauce.”
Ingredients
2 (12 ounce) packages fresh cranberries
2 cups white sugar
1-1/4 cups fresh orange juice
1 cup fresh lemon juice
Instructions
In a large pot, add cranberries and enough water to cover. Boil until cranberries begin to pop. Drain and put through a food mill placed over a large bowl.
While still warm add sugar to dissolve in the warm berries. The amount of sugar may vary depending on the tartness of the berries, so if you decide to add more sugar remember that the mixture will be tarter when it has been frozen.
After dissolving the sugar in the berries, stir in fresh squeezed orange juice and fresh squeezed lemon juice. Pour in 8 or 9 inch square pan and freeze overnight. Take out of the freezer 5-10 minutes before cutting.
LEMON BLUEBERRY SORBET
This is also from a long-since-forgotten emailing list. It begins, “Lemon verbena enhances the lemon flavor of this blueberry sorbet. The rum is optional. The recipe calls for frozen blueberries, so you can make it year-round.”
Yield: 4 servings.
Ingredients
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup whole lemon verbena leaves
1 bag frozen blueberries (14 to 16 ounces)
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
2 Tablespoons lemon-flavored rum (optional)
Preparation
Put sugar and lemon verbena in a food processor and process 30 seconds. Add frozen blueberries and process 1 minute.
With the processor on, pour lemon juice and rum, if using, through the feed tube; process until smooth.
Serve sorbet immediately, or transfer to a covered bowl and keep in freezer (soften slightly before serving, if necessary).
LEMON SORBET
Here’s another recipe from that infamous long-since-forgotten emailing list. Makes 8 servings.
Ingredients
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon zest
Preparation
In a small saucepan, bring the water and the sugar to a boil, stirring the mixture to dissolve the sugar. Add the lemon juice and zest to the sugar syrup and freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
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