Mommy Cooks

Orange Sorbet

It was very hot today -- just right for orange sorbet, a perfect summer afternoon flavor.

This recipe is based on the one in "Cook's Illustrated"'s The Best Italian Classics.  They recommend that you add 2 teaspoons of orange zest, but we found this far too bitter, and after some experimentation decided that the juice alone made a sorbet that was a nice balance of sweet and tart.

We use Valencias from local groves, and have discovered that sometimes the sorbet is a pale, rather creamy orange, and sometimes brightly vivid, according to the particular oranges -- but always delicious!

Orange Sorbet

2 cups fresh orange juice
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vodka
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Whisk the sugar into the orange juice until completely dissolved.  Add the vodka and lemon juice.  Refrigerate if necessary until completely cold.

Prepare in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions.

Makes about 4 servings.  Active work time, about 3 minutes if you don't have to squeeze the oranges; freezing time, 20-25 minutes.

Coconut Sherbet Sundae

I first tasted this little treat at Trader Joe's, where they were giving them away -- just giving them away! -- in little paper cups from the samples bar at the end of one aisle.  I don't usually care for coconut, myself, but this one had me at hello, to coin a phrase.  Mmm!

A pint of sherbet makes just enough to serve four people, as a summery after-dinner treat.  I loved it with roasted and salted slivered almonds -- the salty nuts contrast wonderfully with the sweet coconut and chocolate -- but of course you can use unsalted if you like.

And it's so easy, the kids can put it together themselves!

Coconut Sherbet Sundae

1 pint coconut sherbet
chocolate syrup, such as Trader Joe's "Midnight Moo"
slivered or sliced almonds

Divide the sherbet between 4 serving bowls or cups.  Drizzle chocolate syrup over the sherbet, and top with the almonds.

Makes 4 servings.  Active work time, about 2 minutes.

Raspberry Sorbet

I've done a few ice creams already this summer, but this month's Sugar High Friday -- hosted by Sarah of The Delicious Life -- is "Ice, Ice, Baby".  And you know you want more.

This recipe is based on one by Emeril Lagasse.

Raspberry Sorbet

2 cups water
1 3/4 cups sugar
4 1/2 cups fresh raspberries (about 18 ounces)
2 or 3 tablespoons freshly-squeezed lemon juice

Combine the water and sugar in a large saucepan and bring to a boil, then simmer for 6 to 8 minutes.  Remove from the heat and chill for about 3 hours.

In 2 or 3 batches, using a blender, purée the sugar syrup, raspberries, and lemon juice until smooth.  Strain the purée -- you will have to push much of it through the sieve with the back of a spoon -- and chill for 2 hours.

Freeze in an electric ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's directions.

Makes about 1 quart.  Preparation time, about 25 minutes, plus chilling and freezing times.

Brown Sugar Ice Cream

Brown sugar is, I think, one of my favorite flavors in the world.  Molasses I'm in two minds about, but that hint of almost-molasses brownness in brown sugar -- mmm.  I first made this ice cream accidentally, when David and I were just married and trying out our La Glacière machine -- as one does -- and after breaking the eggs we found that there wasn't any white sugar on hand! and I thought that brown sugar would do just as well.  It did.  The brown sugar gives it a wonderful subtle caramelly sophistication -- quite remarkable.  We made it for the grandparents  this hot summer Sunday afternoon, and it was all gone long before dinner.

This is perfectly fine made with all milk -- even low-fat milk -- as I rarely have cream on hand.  It's not quite as rich, of course, but the brown sugar is such an interesting flavor that it more than makes up for the so-called "lack" of cream.

Brown Sugar Ice Cream

2 eggs
2/3 cup golden brown sugar
1 3/4 cups milk
2 cups cream
2 teaspoons vanilla

Beat the eggs and milk together in a large saucepan.  Add the brown sugar, and cook over low heat, whisking constantly, until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes -- the mixture should coat the back of a spoon.  Do not cook too long or it will curdle.  Remove from heat and let cool; add the cream and vanilla.  Refrigerate until very cold.

Follow manufacturer's instructions for freezing the ice cream.

Makes about 1 quart; preparation time, 15 minutes plus refrigeration and freezing time.

Lemon Buttermilk Ice Cream

We had Father's Day at our house yesterday, with a barbecue in the warm summer afternoon -- we impulsively moved everything and ate outside, it was so lovely.  I made a white barbecue sauce, mayonnaise-based, from a recipe in "Cook's Country" magazine, and David grilled chicken and corn on the cob, and we had a favorite salad of fresh spinach, sliced cucumber, chopped cilantro, and tomatoes with a light vinaigrette. 

Afterwards, we made ice cream.  When I first tasted this lemon buttermilk ice cream a couple of years ago, a recipe from I think "Cooking Light", I thought I'd died and gone to heaven.  My father-in-law shuddered a bit when I said that there is buttermilk in it, but he conceded the point when he tried it.  It has a wonderful tangy sweetness, and I love the way that the lemon stays in your mouth long afterwards, like a memory of summer.  We all took turns cranking the freezer, the girls adding the ice and rock salt -- it seems that the ice cream is even better when you have to work for it a little.

Lemon Buttermilk Ice Cream

1 cup freshly-squeezed lemon juice (about 5 to 10 lemons)
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 cups whole or 2% low-fat milk
2 cups half-and-half
2 cups buttermilk

Combine the lemon juice and sugar in a large bowl, and stir until the sugar is dissolved.  Add the milk, half-and-half, and buttermilk.  (Refrigerate if necessary, until you are ready to make the ice cream.)

Prepare in a hand-cranked ice cream maker, or in an electric ice cream freezer according to the manufacturer's directions.  You may need to halve the recipe for some electric freezers.

Homemade ice cream is best on the day it is made; let leftovers soften a bit, at room temperature or on a very low microwave setting, and stir thoroughly to break up the ice crystals which develop.

Makes about 9 cups of ice cream.  Preparation time, about 5 minutes; active work time, about 40 minutes.