Another Frozen Treat

Ok. One last recipe this year using my ice cream maker. A tart, bright pink one. Then I think I'll be able to move on to cobblers and pies etc.

Cherry Cranberry Frozen Yogurt
1 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
6 ounces frozen cranberry juice cocktail concentrate, thawed
1 1/2 cups fresh sweet, dark cherries, pitted
1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger root 
1 clementine, zest and juice
1/2 cup simple syrup
pinch of salt
Mix Greek yogurt and cranberry juice concentrate. Chop cherries in a food processor or blender until quite fine. Add to yogurt along with ginger, clementine zest and juice, simple syrup and salt. Chill and then freeze in an ice cream freezer according to the manufacturers directions. Cure in freezer.

Hints: I used my counter top ice cream maker and this recipe could be doubled or tripled for an outdoor model. I leave some texture in the cherries but you can process them until smooth if you like. Half an orange would be fine in place of the clementine. I think lime may be pretty tasty, too. Use more ginger if you like. A simple syrup is merely equal amounts of water and white sugar boiled until the sugar is fully dissolved. This would be an excellent recipe to use ginger simple syrup. You can also use a white corn syrup.

I get on these kicks and really go to town on one type of recipe. Soph asked me to get on a home made bagel kick again. I guess we'll see what floats my boat this Autumn. Hopefully it will float yours too.

Frozen? Hot? Chocolate!

This creation is for Sophie and Tyler. They loved going to Hatch Family Chocolates for Frozen Hot Chocolate when they were living in the Avenues. We decided this is a very close version of the real thing in case you can't get to Hatches!

Frozen Hot Chocolate 
5 1/2 cups 2% or whole milk, divided
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 envelope gelatin (2 teaspoons)
Begin heating 5 cups of milk in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently with a flat whisk. Mix sugar, cocoa and salt in a small mixing bowl. Add 1/4 cup milk and vanilla and stir to make a slurry. Pour slurry into hot milk, stirring continuously. Using the same bowl, sprinkle gelatin over final 1/4 cup milk, mix it in and allow to sit for 5 minutes while cocoa mixture is continuing to heat. Whisk in softened gelatin and bring mixture to a boil while stirring. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Chill in refrigerator for several hours. Mix well before freezing in an ice cream freezer according to manufacturers directions. Cure in refrigerator freezer.

Hints: Using gelatin helps the final texture from being too grainy like a regular ice milk would be, but you can certainly make this without the gelatin. Great homemade hot cocoa is as easy as the first few steps. Using cream or half and half (raising the fat content) is a way to make the final produce richer and the texture very smooth, but it ends up tasting like chocolate ice cream and less like frozen hot chocolate. I used my counter top size ice cream maker and this recipe could be doubled for a larger machine. Sophie and Tyler had some great ideas--adding some orange extract and peel for orange hot chocolate; adding almond extract; or mint flavoring. Topping it with marshmallow creme may be the ultimate touch to remind one of hot chocolate.

It was fun to surprise them with one of their favorite treats. They really appreciated the thought and the results. That is one of the most fun aspects of cooking. The rest of the family enjoyed it as well. I am pretty sure I will be making this again soon, weekly if I honor Sophie's request!

It"s Still Hot!

Still in the 90"s. Still dry. Still in the mood for ice cream.

Buttermilk Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
2 tablespoon cornstarch
1 1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups half and half
1 1/2 cups milk, 2% or whole, divided
1or 2 vanilla beans
3 egg yolks
1 1/2 cup buttermilk
In a medium size sauce pan, combine cornstarch, sugar and salt. Stir in half and half  and 1 cup of the milk. Cut vanilla bean in half then score lengthwise. Scrap seeds from inside of bean and add scrapings and pod to pan mixture. Stir and cook over medium heat until boiling. Remove from heat and set aside. Beat yolks and then add remaining milk to the yolks and mix well. Slowly pour the yolk mixture into the hot mixture, stirring continuously. Return pan to the heat and bring to a slow boil. Reduce heat and cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Cool completely, stir in buttermilk, then chill thoroughly. Before churning, remove the bean pods. Churn according to manufacturers directions. Cure in freezer.

Hints: Use a flat whisk to stir while cooking. That is the easiest way to prevent scorching. Transfer to another container for cooling as the pan will retain heat. Use fresh buttermilk for this recipe not powdered.  Use 2 vanilla beans if you want a more intense vanilla flavor. I buy mine at Costco.

This is granddaughter Stella explaining to me how ice cream freezers work. She loves cooking. And I love helping her learn. And the family loves the food. It's a win win win situation!

Kiwi and Herb

Do you like fresh herbs in your ice cream or sorbet? Lavender, mint, ginger, basil or rosemary are all terrific additions to a basic recipe for an additional flavor hit.

Kiwi Rosemary Sorbet
2 cups apple juice or white grape juice
3 or 4 sprigs fresh rosemary
3 large kiwi, peeled and quartered
2 ripe pears, peeled and quartered
1/3 to 1/2 cup honey
2 teaspoons lime juice
1/16 teaspoon salt

Pour apple juice into a small sauce pan and add rosemary. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Remove rosemary and discard. In a food processor or blender, puree kiwi and pears with honey, lime juice and salt. Add apple juice and chill mixture for at least 2 hours or over night. Freeze in an ice cream maker according to manufacturers directions. Cure in freezer for several hours.

Hints: The honey will need to be adjusted according to the ripeness of the kiwi and pears--riper fruit needs less sweetener. Switch out the rosemary if you want to try another flavor combo. I know that ginger would be fabulous and so would basil. If the mixture is not cold to start with, the ice cream maker will not work properly.

I love sorbet! It is a wonderfully refreshing way to end a meal. Kiwi is such a pretty color and there are not very many green desserts I know of. I should have garnished with pistachios!

Ice Cream Weather

It's the time of year one needs ice cream or sorbet. Plain chocolate, vanilla or strawberry are all well and good but a trend to push your taste bud's limits has appeared. Here is one of my experiments that turns out particularly well.

Grilled Peach and Honey Frozen Custard
4 grilled peach halves*, cooled
1 tablespoon lemon or orange juice
2 tablespoons corn starch
1 1/2 cups milk (2%)
1 1/2 cups half and half
1/16 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup honey
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon almond extract or scrapings of 1 vanilla bean
Peel peaches then puree them with the lemon juice until smooth, set aside. In a 2 quart sauce pan, mix corn starch, milk, half and half, salt and honey. (Include the scrapings of the vanilla bean if using.) Bring to a boil stirring constantly with a flat whisk over a medium heat. Remove from heat. Beat egg and yolk together in a small bowl. Ladle at least 1/2 cup of the hot milk mixture into the eggs to temper them, stirring while you add. Return egg mixture to the pan and place on the heat again. Cook an additional 2 minutes, again stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add peach puree and almond extract. Chill and then freeze in an ice cream maker according to manufacturers directions. Cure in the freezer and serve.

* Grilled Peaches
ripe peaches
coconut oil
honey
Heat grill to medium (about 375 degrees). Wash and halve peaches. Remove pits and pat dry with paper towels. Brush all over with coconut oil. Place on hot grill cut side down and cook 4 minutes without disturbing them, the lid to the grill closed. With long tongs, turn the peaches over, fill the pit cavity with honey, close the grill lid and cook another 3 or 4 minutes. Remove from grill and serve warm with additional honey, Chocolate Ginger Balsamic Glaze, vanilla custard, etc.

Hints: Ice creams made with honey tend to stay softer than those made with sugar so expect the final product to be a bit soft. The flavor of the honey is readily apparent. You could make this with sugar or raw sugar if you prefer; I would increase the amount to 3/4 cup in that case. The vanilla bean verses the almond extract is personal preference--either one is fabulous. Chilling the custard is vital to getting your ice cream maker to work properly. I let mine chill overnight if possible. I use my small counter top maker for this amount but the recipe could be doubled or tripled for a large outdoor model.

Peaches take me back to childhood. Dad always had 2 or 3 trees in the yard--all ripening at different times. Bottling peaches was a full time job for several days each summer, even for 8 year olds. My maternal grandfather was a nursery man and had the nickname "Peach Tree Smith". He sold peach trees to all the Willard and Brigham City orchard owners. A love of peaches may be included in my genetic inheritance.