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Tag: Frozen Treats

Coriander Blackberry Ice Cream

Coriander Blackberry Ice Cream

I think the best way to crush the coriander seeds is to place them in a heavy-duty bag and crack them with a heavy object, like a rolling pin. You could also use a mortar and pestle, but don’t crush too much.

2 C. whole milk
1 ¼ C. heavy cream
2/3 C. cane sugar
1/8 C. light corn syrup
1 1/2 T. crushed coriander seeds
1 T. plus 1 tsp. cornstarch
1 ½ oz. cream cheese, softened
1/8 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 to 1/2 C. blackberry sauce (see below)

Warm 1 C. milk, sugar, corn syrup, cream, and coriander seeds in a medium saucepan. Once warm (do not boil) remove from heat, cover and let steep at room temperature for one hour. When steeping is almost complete, fill a large bowl with ice water. In a small bowl, mix 2 T. the milk with the cornstarch. In a medium bowl, whisk the cream cheese and salt until smooth. After steeping is complete, add remaining milk and begin rewarming over medium heat. Bring milk mixture to a boil. Cook over moderate heat for about 4 minutes to remove some moisture. Remove from heat and off heat gradually whisk in the cornstarch mixture. Return to a boil and cook over moderately high heat until the mixture is slightly thickened (draw a line on a spoon), about 1 minute. Gradually pour the hot milk mixture through a sieve into the cream cheese and whisk until smooth. Pour into a gallon bag, seal tightly, and set baggie in the ice water bath, cover with some ice, and let stand until cold, about 20 minutes or longer. Once ice cream base is chilled, pour ice cream base into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Spoon a layer of blackberry sauce (see below) into a container and lightly spoon a layer of ice cream on top. Continue to alternate layers of sauce and ice cream until the container is full; drizzle a little more sauce on top. Do not swirl with a spoon. Press a sheet of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the ice cream (to prevent ice crystals) and close with an airtight lid. Freeze until firm, at least 4 hours.

Blackberry sauce

Sauce can be prepared in advance and frozen until ready to use.

2 C. blackberries, fresh or frozen
1 C. sugar

Place both ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir occasionally. Berries will soon begin to release their juice, keep stirring to combine juice and sugar. Simmer until sugar is dissolved and most juice has been released from berries, about 8 minutes. Cool completely before adding to ice cream.

Bacon-Blueberry Ice Cream

Bacon-Blueberry Ice Cream

Bacon-Blueberry Ice Cream1 C. whole milk
¼ tsp. salt
¾ C. sugar
2 C. heavy cream
5 large egg yolks
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
¾ pound bacon, cooked crisp, drained and crumbled
2 slices bacon, uncooked
1 pint blueberries, smashed

Set up an ice bath by placing ice and water into a large bowl and setting a smaller bowl on top. Pour the cream into the smaller bowl and set a strainer over the small bowl. Whisk the egg yolks in a large bowl and set near the stove, with a whisk, ladle and rubber spatula handy. Heat the milk, salt, sugar, and the 2 slices of bacon in a saucepan until it starts to simmer. Slowly ladle half of the milk into the eggs, whisking as you go. This will temper the eggs and keep them from scrambling. Pour the egg mixture into the saucepan with the remaining milk and use the rubber spatula to stir, making sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the pan. Continue to cook in this manner until the mixture thickens and you see the first bubbles appear, indicating that it’s starting to boil. (Remember to never stop stirring during this step or you will wind up with scrambled eggs!) Immediately pour the custard through the strainer into the cream and stir to combine. Add the vanilla extract and the smashed blueberries and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, and preferably overnight. Pour the mixture into the canister of an ice cream maker, and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions, adding the crumbled bacon halfway through the process.

Blackberry-Black Tea Sorbet

Blackberry-Black Tea Sorbet

Blackberry-Black Tea Sorbet1 1/2 pounds rinsed blackberries
2 cups brewed black Darjeeling or Assam tea
1 1/4 cups sugar

In a blender, whirl blackberries until puréed. Pour through a fine strainer into a bowl, pressing pulp with a spatula to extract as much juice as possible; you should have 2 cups purée. Discard solids. Whisk tea and sugar into purée. Cover and chill until cold, at least 3 hours or up to 1 day. Freeze in an ice cream maker (at least 1 1/2-qt. capacity) according to manufacturer’s instructions until machine stops or dasher is hard to turn. Transfer sorbet to an airtight container and freeze until firm, about 3 hours.

Jasmine-Honey Sherbet

Jasmine-Honey Sherbet

Jasmine-Honey Sherbet3 1/2 cups warm brewed green jasmine tea
3/4 C. half-and-half
3/4 C. honey
1/4 C. sugar
1/8 tsp. lemon juice

In a large bowl, whisk together the tea, half-and-half, honey, sugar, and lemon juice. Cover and chill until cold, at least 3 hours or up to 1 day. Freeze in an ice cream maker (at least 1 1/2-qt. capacity) according to manufacturer’s instructions until machine stops or dasher is hard to turn. Transfer sorbet to an airtight container and freeze until firm, about 3 hours.

Honeysuckle Flower Sorbet 

Honeysuckle Flower Sorbet 

Honeysuckle Flower Sorbet

 

3 ½ cups cold water, divided

¾ cup sugar

3 cups gently packed honeysuckle flowers, a mixture of orange blossoms, white blossoms, and buds

3 to 4 medium-sized sassafras leaves, roughly chopped (optional)

1 T. lemon juice

⅓ cup dry white wine

Pinch of cinnamon

 

Bring 1/2 cup of the water to a boil in a small saucepan then add the sugar, stirring until it has completely dissolved. Add the remaining 3 cups of cold water to bring the solution to room temperature. Stir in the honeysuckle flowers and sassafras leaves, is using. Cover and let infuse for 8-12 hours in the fridge. Once the flowers have infused and the liquid tastes nice and honeysuckley, place a fine-mesh strainer over a large bowl and strain out the flowers and leaves. Discard the leftover flowers. Stir in the lemon juice, white wine and cinnamon. Taste and add a pinch more of cinnamon if necessary. The mixture should have a hint of cinnamon, but the flavor shouldn’t overwhelm the flowers. Freeze in your ice cream machine according to the manufacturer’s directions. Enjoy!

 

Honeysuckle Sorbet Notes: The sorbet is best the day it is made. If you have leftovers, you can let them thaw in the fridge for 15 minutes before serving for a softer sorbet. I recommend using a mix of orange and white blossoms as well as the closed white buds because this is what I usually find when I am harvesting and they each add slightly different elements to the flavor. However, you can use whatever mixture you find as long as it is at least 2/3 opened flowers. To make this alcohol-free, you can use 1/3 cup water with a few drops of lemon juice in place of the wine. I would also recommend adding an additional 1/4 cup of sugar in step 1 to help create a softer sorbet. Sassafras leaves have a very different taste from the better-known sassafras root. The leaves add a soft lemony flavor to the sorbet.

Spiked Arnold Palmer Popsicles

Spiked Arnold Palmer Popsicles

Spiked Arnold Palmer Popsicles

 

1 1/4 Cups Iced Tea

1 1/4 Cups Lemonade

1/3 Cup Citrus Vodka

Juice of Half of a Lemon (Optional)

Lemon Wedges, Sliced Thinly (Optional)

Popsicles Sticks

Popsicle Mold

 

In a pitcher, combine the Iced Tea/Lemonade juice and the citrus vodka. If you want to add a bit more lemon flavor, squeeze in the juice of half of a fresh lemon. Stir well. Pour the mixture into your popsicle molds. For a little extra pizzazz, pop a lemon wedge into each mold. Put the popsicle mold into your freezer and allow to freeze for at least 4 hours. (I let mine freeze overnight). Carefully remove each popsicle from the mold and serve!

Meyer Lemon Semifreddo with Summer Berries

Meyer Lemon Semifreddo with Summer Berries

Meyer Lemon Semifreddo with Summer Berries

 

1/2 C. sliced almonds, toasted

1 3/4 C. chilled heavy whipping cream

1 1/4 C. plus 2 T. sugar

7 large egg yolks

1/2 C. fresh Meyer lemon juice or regular lemon juice

1 T. plus 2 tsp. finely grated Meyer lemon peel or regular lemon peel

1/4 tsp. salt

4 C. mixed fresh berries (such as raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, and quartered hulled strawberries)

 

Line 9x5x3-inch metal loaf pan with plastic wrap, leaving generous overhang. Sprinkle almonds evenly over bottom of pan. Using electric mixer, beat whipping cream in large bowl until soft peaks form. Refrigerate whipped cream while making custard. Whisk 1 1/4 C. sugar, egg yolks, lemon juice, lemon peel, and salt in large metal bowl to blend. Set bowl over large saucepan of simmering water and whisk constantly until yolk mixture is thick and fluffy and instant-read thermometer inserted into mixture registers 170°F, about 4 minutes. Remove bowl from over simmering water. Using electric mixer, beat mixture until cool, thick, and doubled in volume, about 6 minutes. Fold in chilled whipped cream. Transfer mixture to prepared loaf pan and smooth top. Tap loaf pan lightly on work surface to remove air pockets. Fold plastic wrap overhang over top to cover. Freeze semifreddo until firm, at least 8 hours or overnight. Unfold plastic wrap from top of semifreddo and invert dessert onto platter; remove plastic wrap. Dip heavy large knife into hot water; cut semifreddo crosswise into 1-inch-thick slices. Transfer to plates; spoon berries alongside and serve.