1 fresh pineapple, peeled, cored and chopped
1 cup almond milk
1 tablespoon honey optional
To get started, you’ll want to freeze the pineapple chunks. The frozen pineapple reached the 6.5 – 7 cup mark on my blender pitcher. Combine the frozen pineapple with the almond milk and honey, then blend until a frozen sorbet texture is achieved.
3/4 C. apple juice, or white grape juice or water
1/2 C. sugar
5 fresh California peaches, pureed
3 T. orange juice
2 tsp. finely grated orange peel
In large saucepan, heat apple juice and sugar until sugar dissolves. Cool. In large bowl, combine peaches, orange juice and orange peel. Stir into sugar mixture. Freeze in ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s directions. Thirty minutes before serving, process in blender or food processor and refreeze until serving. Note: You may omit freezing in ice cream maker and freeze in loaf pan. Thirty minutes before serving, process in blender or food processor and refreeze until serving.
1/2 C. sugar
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
3 C. Florida Tangerine Juice, divided
1 tsp. tangerine peel, grated
In a medium bowl, combine sugar and gelatin. Heat 1 C. tangerine juice to boiling. Add to gelatin and stir until gelatin is completely dissolved. Stir in remaining 2 C. juice and grated peel. Cool. Pour into ice cube trays or 9 X 9-inch metal pan; cover and freeze. When almost frozen, scrape into a large mixing bowl. Beat until smooth, but still frozen. Return mixture to pan; cover and freeze until almost frozen. Again scrape into mixing bowl and beat. Spoon into pan, cover and freeze until firm. Serve.
1/4 C. finely grated fresh lemon zest
2/3 C. fresh lemon juice
2 C. sugar
3 C. heavy cream (nice and cold!)
1 C. whole milk
1/4 tsp. salt
Have your ice cream maker ready. In a saucepan whisk together zest, lemon juice, and sugar. Cook mixture over moderate heat, stirring until sugar is completely dissolved. about 10 minutes and cool to room temperature. In a bowl whisk together cream, milk, and salt and stir in lemon syrup. Transfer mixture to ice cream maker and freeze. Transfer lemon ice cream to an airtight container and put into freezer to harden.
Yield:
Calories:
Fat:
Fiber:
4 oranges
4 cups orange juice
4 cherries
Cut the tops off the oranges in a zigzag pattern. Hollow out the insides, remove the seeds and combine in a blender with the juice. Set the rinds in a muffin tin and fill with the mixture. Drop a cherry inside each orange. Freeze for 2 to 3 hours. Soften the treats for 5 minutes, then serve.
RHUBARB SUNDAES
3 rhubarb stalks, finely chopped (about 2 cups)
Pinch of kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1Â Â cinnamon stick
2Â tablespoons honey
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Vanilla ice cream, for serving
Mint leaves, for serving (optional)
Sugar cones, for serving (optional)
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Combine the chopped rhubarb, salt, vanilla, cinnamon stick, honey, and lemon juice in a baking dish or small ovenproof saucepan. Toss the ingredients to combine and cover the dish or pan with a lid. Bake for 30 minutes, until slightly thickened and fragrant. Remove the chutney from the oven and set it aside to cool. Top scoops of vanilla ice cream with warm or room-temperature rhubarb chutney, and, if desired, add a few fresh mint leaves and a little cone hat to each serving. Refrigerate extra chutney in an airtight glass jar and enjoy within 1 week.
1/2 cup unsweetened pineapple juice
3 medium apples unpeeled cored and cut up
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup dark raisins
1 tablespoon sugar or to taste
Popsicle sticks
Process apples, juice, cinnamon and raisins in blender or food processor until smooth; add sugar to taste. It will taste less sweet when frozen. Spoon into 3-4 ounce paper or plastic cups or frozen sucker molds. Place in freezer. When partially frozen, insert a stick in each cup and finish freezing.
Yield:
Calories:
Fat:
Fiber:
Mango & Lime Pops
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
2 small ripe mangoes, peeled, pitted, and cut into chunks
1/2 cup lime juice (from about 4 limes)
1/2 to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Pinch of kosher salt
Make a simple syrup by combining the sugar and water in a small saucepan and warming over medium heat just until the sugar dissolves. Cool completely. Combine the syrup, mangoes, lime juice, cayenne pepper, and salt in a blender or food processor. Blend well, pour into molds, and freeze for at least 6 hours or overnight. Freeze up to 3 months. Store in the molds or release, wrap well in waxed paper, and store in a marked sealable plastic bag.
Lemon Verbena Sorbet
1 C. fresh lemon verbena leaves, gently packed
1 C. sugar
1/4 C. freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 C. ice water
In a food processor, puree the verbena leaves and the sugar until a paste begins to form, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed (this took me about 1 minute). Add the lemon juice and process for 15-30 seconds more, until the mixture looks like wet green sand. In another bowl, combine the mixture and the ice water, stirring until the sugar is dissolved, then pass through a fine mesh strainer to remove any bits of verbena. Pour into your ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer’s directions.
10 stalks fresh lemon grass (about 12 oz.), rinsed
1 1/2 C. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 C. lemon juice
1 C. coconut milk (stir before measuring)
Peel toughest outer layers from lemon grass; discard. Cut into 1/2-inch lengths. In a 2- to 3-quart pan over high heat, combine lemon grass, sugar, salt, and 2 1/2 C. water. Stir until liquid comes to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, stirring occasionally, until light golden, about 20 minutes. Pour through a fine strainer into a bowl, pressing on solids; discard solids. Nest bowl in a larger bowl of ice water and stir syrup until cool, about 5 minutes. Stir in lemon juice. Whisk in coconut milk. If mixture is lumpy, pour through a fine strainer. Pour into an ice-cream maker (at least 1 qt.) and freeze. Scoop into bowls or, for a firmer consistency, freeze airtight up to 3 days.
1 (12-oz.) can thawed limeade concentrate, undiluted
1 (12.3-oz.) package reduced-fat silken firm tofu, drained
1 1/2 C. water
Mint sprigs (optional)
Grated lime rind (optional)
Combine limeade and tofu in a blender; process until smooth. Add water; pulse to combine. Pour mixture into the freezer can of an ice-cream freezer; freeze according to manufacturer’s instructions. Spoon the mixture into a freezer-safe container; cover and freeze 2 hours or until firm. Garnish with mint and rind, if desired.
Yield: 5 servings
Calories: 196
Fat: 3.1g
Fiber: 1.8g
1 C. sugar
3/4 C. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. salt
4 C. milk (Note: Do yourself a favor and use whole milk)
4 T. unsalted butter
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 C. shelled pistachios
Green food coloring
Â
In a food processor or blender, grind 3/4 C. of the nuts to a paste. (Note: I couldn’t get my pistachios to form a paste without adding a tsp. or two of water). In a saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Add the milk and pistachios and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly for 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from the heat as soon as the mixture thickens. (Note: This took approximately 12 minutes for me on a gas stove). Stir in the butter until melted. Add the vanilla. Let cool in refrigerator for 10 minutes. Add 3 drops green food coloring and mix with a spoon to combine. Pour into the pop molds. Insert the sticks. Freeze for at least 8 hours. Remove from the freezer. Let stand at room temperature for 5 minutes before removing the pops from the molds. (Note: Be gentle! I found that running the molds under warm water also helped to neatly loosen them).
3/4 C. yogurt
2 tsp sugar
2 mangos, peeled and cubed
In food processor, process mango and sugar until smooth. Add yogurt. Pour mixture into freezer container of an ice cream maker. Freeze according to manufacturer’s instructions. To prepare without and ice cream maker, pour mixture into an 8″x4″ freezer container. Cover and freeze 4 hours, whisking from time to time.
Yield: 4 servings
Calories: 94
Fat: 0g
Fiber: 2g
2 jars McCormick Lemon Grass
1 C. sugar
4 C. water
1/4 tsp. Ground Ginger
1/2 tsp. lemon juice
Combine all ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Refrigerate 4 hours. Strain and place in an ice cream maker. Freeze thoroughly.
Yield: 8 servings
Calories: 64
Fat: 0g
Fiber: 0g
5 C. sliced rhubarb (about 1 1/4 lb.)
1 quart water
1/2 C. granulated sugar
1/2 C. packed brown sugar
1 T. fresh lemon juice
Combine rhubarb and water in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil; cook 10 minutes. Remove from heat; strain mixture through a sieve into a bowl, pressing rhubarb with the back of a spoon to remove as much liquid as possible. Discard rhubarb. Add granulated sugar, brown sugar, and juice; stir until sugars dissolve. Cover and chill. Pour mixture into the freezer can of an ice-cream freezer; freeze according to manufacturer’s instructions. Spoon sorbet into a freezer-safe container; cover and freeze 1 hour or until firm. Remove sorbet from freezer 10 minutes before serving.
Yield: 8 servings
Serving size: 1/2 C.
Calories: 107
Fat: 0.1g
Fiber: 0.1g
3 C. seedless green grapes
2 T. 100 percent apple juice
juice of 1 lime
1 fresh mint leaf (optional)
Blend grapes, juices and mint until smooth. Freeze mixture in shallow baking pan until it’s almost solid — 1 to 2 hours depending on your freezer. Remove from freezer, break up pieces and blend in blender again. Serve with lime wedge.
YIELD: 4 servings
Calories: 91
Fat: 1g
Fiber: 1g
6 cups frozen pitted cherries
1/4 cup sugar
1 lemon, juiced
Combine sugar and cherries and refrigerate overnight. Place mixture into a blender and puree until smooth. Add lemon juice and pulse until combined. Pour mixture into ice cream machine and churn according to manufacturer’s instructions. (Would Splenda work?)
Yield: 6 servings
Calories 138
Fat 1.4 g
Fiber 3.4 g
from Cooking Light, September 2003
2 C. Water
1/3 C. slices (1/4″ thick) peeled fresh Ginger
3 C. Whole Milk
2/3 C. Sugar
1 Vanilla Bean, split lengthwise
2 large Eggs, lightly beaten
Combine water and ginger in a small saucepan, bring to a boil. Drain. Combine ginger mixture, milk, and sugar in a medium saucepan. Scrape seeds from vanilla bean; add seeds and bean to milk mixture. Heat the milk mixture over medium-high heat to 180 degrees or until tiny bubbles form around edge (do not boil). Remove from heat. Place eggs in a large bowl. Gradually add hot milk mixture, stirring constantly with a whisk until well blended. Let stand 15 minutes. Strain milk mixture through a seive into a pan; discard solids. Heat milk mixture to 160 degrees, stirring constantly with a whisk. Cool completely. Pour mixture into the freezer can of an ice-cream freeser and freeze according to manufacturers directions.
Yield: 6 Servings
Serving Seize: 1/2 C.
Calories: 180
Fat: 5.8g
Fiber: 0g
Healthy Soft Serve
2 whole banana, frozen
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/3 cup raspberry, frozen
Combine all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. Serve immediately.
Cherry-Vanilla: Swap the raspberries for cherries and the lemon juice for 1/2 vanilla bean
Blueberry-Ginger: Swap the raspberries for blueberries, halve the lemon juice, and add 1/4 teaspoon grated ginger root
Strawberry-Banana: Lose the lemon juice and swap the raspberries for diced strawberries
Cinnamon-Raisin: Use 3 bananas, swap the raspberries for 1/8 cup raisins, and swap the lemon juice for 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Chocolate: Leave out the raspberries and lemon juice and add 1 1/2 tablespoons cocoa or carob powder
Chocolate-Mint: Same as chocolate above, but add 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint as well
1/3 C. water
1/3 C. firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 T. unsalted butter, cut into small chunks
3 firm Bosc pears, peeled, halved, cored (about 1 pound)
1 vanilla bean
1 17.6oz (2 C.) Greek yogurt
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Arrange the pears cut side up in an 8-inch square glass baking dish. Add the water into the dish and sprinkle sugar, butter and scraped vanilla bean on top of the pears. Bake until the pears are crisp-tender and beginning to brown, basting occasionally with the juices, about 35-40 minutes. Let cool on a cooling rack. When the baking dish has cool down, cover with saran wrap and place in the fridge to chill for at least half an hour, or up to a day. Using a blender, process the roasted pears, with its juice and the yogurt until smooth. Transfer to the freezer bowl of your ice cream machine and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
2 plump, moist vanilla beans
2 C. heavy cream
1 C. whole milk
1/2 C. heather honey (or substitute another aromatic honey such as chestnut or eucalyptus)
Flatten the vanilla beans and cut them in half lengthwise. With a small spoon, scrape out the seeds. Place the seeds and pods in a large saucepan. Add the cream, milk, and honey. Stir to dissolve the honey. Heat over moderate heat, stirring from time to time, just until tiny bubbles form around the edges of the pan, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and let steep, covered, for 1 hour. Cover and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled. Remove the vanilla pods, and stir the mixture again to blend. Transfer it to an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer’s instructions.
Yield:
Calories:
Fat:
Fiber:
2 1/2 C. sugar
5 C. water
1/4 tsp. salt
1 C. fresh lemon juice (about 6 lemons)
1 T. grated lemon peel
6 mint sprigs
Combine sugar, water and salt in large saucepan. Cook, stirring continually, over low heat until sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil and cover. Boil 5 minutes, do not stir. Remove pan from heat. Stir in lemon juice and lemon peel. Pour into medium glass dish. Cool at room temperature. Freeze, covered, until slushy. Spoon into chilled mixing bowl. Beat ice with electric mixer set at medium speed until smooth, but do not allow mixture to melt. Pour back into dish and spread evenly. Cover with plastic wrap. Freeze lemon ice, stirring 2-3 times until firm. Spoon into chilled dessert dishes. Top each serving with a mint sprig.
48 green seedless grapes, rinsed
48 red seedless grapes, rinsed
16 6-inch wooden skewers
Thread six grapes, alternating grape colors, onto each wooden skewer. Place skewers into the freezer for 30 minutes, or until frozen. Serve immediately.
1 (16 oz) bag of frozen pineapple chunks (I used Dole)
4 cups vanilla ice cream
1 teaspoon lime juice
1 teaspoon lemon juice
12 ounces pineapple juice
Puree frozen pineapple in a blender. It works best if it is about halfway thawed. To that, add the ice cream, lime juice, lemon juice, and half (6oz) of the pineapple juice. Blend together until it is well mixed. Freeze the mixture for about 2 hours to set up. Scoop into glasses or bowls and pour the remaining pineapple juice over each serving. We found it made about 3 servings, but you can easily double or cut the recipe in half. Dream of Disneyland and enjoy!
Another Version
2 cans (20 oz. each) crushed pineapple
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 Tbsp lime juice
1/3 cup sugar
1-1/2 cups whipping cream, whipped.
Pineapple juice {As much or little as you want}
Sugar, to taste
Drain crushed pineapple and reserve 2 Tbsp. Set aside. Place pineapple, lemon juice, lime juice, sugar and reserved juice in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. {Go just a little bit longer than you think you need to. Otherwise, your resulting ice cream will be lumpy.) Pour into a gallon zipped freezer bag and store flat in freezer until it becomes a slushy consistency. {About 1-1/2 hours.} In a large bowl, gently fold pineapple mixture into whipped cream until blended. Return to freezer until completely frozen. {About 1 hour.) Add enough sugar to your pineapple juice to make it sweet enough to your liking. {We also diluted it with a tiny bit of water, but it really just depends on how it tastes to you.} Scoop pineapple slush ice cream into a cup and fill the rest of the way with your juice. Sit back and relax and pretend you’re riding Space Mountain.
Vegan Version
2 cups (frozen-by-you) DOLE pineapple cubes, from a fresh DOLE pineapple (cut by you)
1 DOLE banana, frozen
1/2-1 cup non-dairy milk (soy, almond, coconut…)
First you a pineapple, wait until it is fragrant and ripe, then chop it into cubes. Freeze the cubes. Also freeze your own ripe bananas. Place the pineapple, banana and 1/2 cup non-dairy milk in a high speed blender. Place lid on and start blending from low to high. Continue blending and use your Vitamix tamper (Vitamix is advised for achieving best results.) You want to add as little liquid as possible to maintain the frosty thickness, but add more liquid in small splashes as needed to blend. Pour the frosty whip into a serving cup, swirl on top with the back of a spoon and serve! Garnish with fresh pineapple if possible. Colorful umbrella optional.
One More
2 cans (20 oz each) Dole Crushed Pineapple
2 Tbsp sugar
Juice of one lime
Juice of one lemon
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 (8 oz) tub Cool Whip Free, frozen
In a blender, pour in the cans of crushed pineapple (pineapple and their juice), the sugar, juices of both the lemon and lime, and the vanilla. Blend for about 2 minutes or until completely smooth. Cut the frozen Cool Whip in quarters and place it in the blender. Blend on high until combined and smooth. Mixture will be thick but still pourable. Pour the mixture into two Mason jars with the lids off. Place the Mason jars into the freezer and freeze for about 3 hours, or until the mixture is soft and thick, like soft serve. Serve immediately. I find that in my freezer, 3 hours is the perfect amount of time for thick and creamy soft serve-style Dole Whips, but check yours after 2 and experiment with times from the 2-hour mark.
3/4 C. honey
1 tsp. dried lavender placed in a tea ball or gauze
1 C. half and half
2 C. heavy cream
7 egg yolks
Pour the half and half and the cream into a heavy sauce pan. Add the lavender to this mixture and warm for about 5 minutes. Remove the lavender flowers. Wisk the egg yolks in a bowl until they are frothy. Slowly pour the about half of the warm cream into the mixture of egg yolks as you wisk continuously. Combine the remainder of the yolk and cream mixture into the saucepan and continue to heat on low (stiring constantly) for about 5 minutes. Strain the mixture into a bowl and whisk in the honey. Chill the mixture and then freeze according to the instructions on your ice cream maker.
This dessert is reminiscent of a cocktail and is the epitome of refreshing on a hot summer night. Basil can be substituted for the mint.
2 bulbs fennel
1 1/2 C. sugar
3 bunches mint, leaves plucked from stems
4 limes, juiced
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 C. gin
1 egg white
Chop fennel. Place in a nonreactive pot and add 4 C. water. Cover and simmer until very tender, approximately 30 minutes. Cool completely. Combine 1 1/2 C. water with sugar in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring, until sugar has dissolved. Cool simple syrup completely.. Purée the fennel with the water it was cooking in, 2 C. simple syrup, mint, lime juice, salt, gin, and egg white in a blender for 1 minute. Strain through a cheesecloth. Chill in refrigerator for 1 hour. Process in an ice-cream maker according to the manufacturer’s directions.
1 1/2 C. whipping cream
1 C. half and half
3/4 C. sugar
5 large egg yolks
1 pound peaches, peeled, sliced
1/4 C. light corn syrup
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
4 large peaches, peeled, sliced
1/2 C. Essencia (orange Muscat wine) or late-harvest Riesling
1/2 C. sugar
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
For ice cream: Bring 1 C. cream, half and half, and 1/2 C. sugar just to simmer in medium saucepan. Whisk yolks in medium bowl; gradually whisk in cream mixture. Return mixture to saucepan. Stir over medium heat until custard thickens and leaves path on back of spoon when finger is drawn across, about 4 minutes (do not boil). Strain into bowl. Refrigerate custard until cold, about 3 hours. Place peaches, corn syrup, and 1/4 C. sugar in medium saucepan. Stir over medium heat until peaches are heated through, about 4 minutes. Mash to coarse puree. Cool completely. Stir into custard along with vanilla and 1/2 C. cream. Process custard in ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions. (Ice cream can be made 3 days ahead. Cover and freeze.) For compote: Mix all ingredients in medium bowl. Let stand 10 minutes and up to 1 hour, tossing occasionally. Serve ice cream with compote.
1-1/2 to 2 C. ice water
1-1/2 C. nonfat dry milk powder
2/3 C. sugar
1/4 C. unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp. vanilla
1 to 11/2 trays of ice cubes
2 T. corn oil
5-second squirt of non-stick spray
Place all of the ingredients into the blender, including the oil and the non-stick spray. Use less water for thicker milk shakes and more water for shakes that are easy on your blender motor. The blender should be about 3/4’s full. Place the lid on. Process for a full 2 minutes. Pour into cups and serve. Makes 4 – 12oz. servings Variations:1 very ripe banana for a chocolate banana shake, a big spoonful of peanut butter for a decadent Chocolate Peanut Butter Shake, a few broken red and white candy mints for a refreshing Chocolate Mint shake. Vanilla Milk Shakes: omit the cocoa powder, reduce the sugar to 1/2-C. and add 1 T. (yes a full T.) of vanilla flavoring.
4c Blackberry
1/3 C. Sugar
1 tsp. Lemon Juice
Toss blackberries with sugar and let it sit half a day to overnight. In a non-reactive pan, bring the mixture to a gentle simmer. Puree all ingredients on low speed in your blender; be careful not to grind up the seed. Strain and cool over ice bath.
Anise Hyssop syrup
30g/1oz. Anise hyssop, cleaned and destemmed
¾ C. sugar
I tsp. honey or agave nectar
1 ½ C. water
Bring sugar, honey and water to a boil. While it’s hot, pour it over the cleaned anise hyssop. Let it steep for one hour. Strain anise hyssop and cool the syrup over an ice bath.
Combine cooled puree and syrup together with:
1 tsp. freshly juiced lemon
1/8 tsp. salt
Chill mixture in the fridge at least 3 hours or overnight. Churn it in an ice cream maker. Enjoy with more fresh berries, toasted almond, and fresh whipped cream on top!
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.
1 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.
1 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.
3 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
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
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
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.