Grapefruit-Champagne Sorbet

I’m not generally a fan of frozen treats. I have very sensitive teeth and the coldness of ice creams, sorbets, and popsicles is usually rather painful.

There are a few notable exceptions. For some reason frozen custard doesn’t bother me, nor did some of the most amazing pistachio gelato last year in Florence. Perhaps it’s the fat content or the method of churning – I’m unsure.

Then there are frozen treats that are so incredibly delicious that I don’t care if they hurt my teeth, I just eat them slowly and carefully. This sorbet is one of those treats.

It’s like a frozen mimosa exploding in your mouth. Which, to me, sounds like bliss. The recipe is from David Lebovitz’s Perfect Scoop, which is, in my opinion, the definitive recipe book on ice creams and frozen delights.

So far I’ve made a few different things from it. I was pretty “meh” about the Watermelon Sorbetto, but the husband loved it. I adapted the Lemon Sorbet recipe to suit some fresh grapefruits sent lovingly from an aunt in Florida for Christmas, but it was pretty underwhelming – but the husband loved it. In fact, I think he ate the entire batch in about 3 days.

I’ve got a bunch of other recipes on my to-do list: Mojito Granita, Olive Oil Ice Cream, Orange-Szechuan Peppercorn Ice Cream, Rice Ice Cream…

This Grapefruit-Champagne sorbet, however, has rocked my world. The flavor of the wine is prevalent, so be warned. This probably isn’t appropriate for children or non-drinkers. The husband doesn’t drink alcohol, but he found the strong champagne flavor to be “un-offensive,” as he put it. I, on the other hand, want to take the entire container of sorbet, back myself into a corner, and growl at anyone who comes near.

Make this. Then don’t share it with your friends.

Grapefruit-Champagne Sorbet

from The Perfect Scoop

1 1/3 cups Champagne or other sparkling white wine

1 cup sugar

2 ½ cups fresh squeezed grapefruit juice

In a medium, nonreactive saucepan, heat about half the champagne with the sugar, stirring frequently until the sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat, stir in the remaining champagne and the grapefruit juice.

Chill the mixture thoroughly and freeze it according to your ice cream maker’s instructions.

*Notes: I didn’t use a saucepan, I microwaved half the champagne and the sugar in a large glass measuring cup a minute at a time until the sugar dissolved, stirring every 30 seconds. Then I chilled the champagne-sugar mixture, as well as the rest of the wine and the grapefruit juice. I combined them all once chilled and then put it in my ice cream maker. This worked perfectly for me and it seemed a lot easier than using the stovetop. It’s up to you.

passion fruit semifreddo

You know what I love the most about passion fruit? When the produce boy sells them to you at a steep discount because "they're all wrinkly, they must be old."

It's a beautiful thing - especially considering that last time I saw passion fruit at Whole Foods they were $2 each. Ouch.

For those of you unfamiliar with this tasty, tropical fruit, wrinkly skin is a good sign. It indicates that the fruit is ripe and sweet. A passion fruit with shiny, smooth skin is unripe. So the next time you see a store trying to get rid of their old, wrinkly passion fruits - snatch them up, my friend. Them's some good eats.

Semifreddos are an Italian dessert kind of like a frozen mousse. Instead of using the traditional churning method of most frozen desserts, the flavorful base is folded into pillowy whipped cream and frozen, usually in a mold. It's then turned out and sliced, sometimes served with a sauce.

Succinctly, they're rich, creamy, delicious, and so easy a trained monkey could make one. So make one, impress your friends, and add an inch or two to your waistline.

Click to read more ...

Pomegranate-Pineapple Sorbet

A few weeks ago the folks over at POM Wonderful contacted me about whether or not I would like to try some of their product. I debated on whether or not I wanted to accept free product from a company - even if they didn't explicitly ask me for a review - and eventually came to the decision that I would never post a false review about anything, good or bad, and I always disclose if I received the product gratis.

Which I did.

So, no harm no foul - right?

And since I'm sure pretty much everyone on the planet has had pomegranate juice at this point and POM Wonderful is essentially the only national commercial producer of pomegranate juice, we all know it's pretty damn good.

It tastes good, it's rumored to be the holy grail of antioxidants, and with any luck the consumption of internationally grown pomegranates will help alleviate poverty in the Middle East.(POM Wonderful only uses domestically grown pomegranates, however.)

All that is well and good, but I'm more interested in pairing the juice with pureed pineapple and taking a tropical vacation in my mouth during this cold and dreary December.

Click to read more ...

Frozen Greek Yoghurt

After mentioning the many batches of frozen Greek yoghurt in my post about apple cider ice cream the other day, I figured it appropriate to finally post about the frozen yoghurt itself.

I've made it with both traditional Greek yoghurt and normal plain yoghurt that has been drained of excess liquid and also with both honey and sugar to sweeten. All have been delicious and I really have no preference for any of them over another.

A couple weekends ago I made a batch of sweetened with sugar and topped with honey and pomegranate seeds - that has been, by far, my favorite way to enjoy it.

Click to read more ...

Apple Cider Ice Cream

There are few things more synonymous with fall than apple cider.

The leaves are starting to change, there's a brisk edge to the breeze, and sandals are exchanged for über-cute boots. What could be more comfortable than curling up in a big fluffy blanket on the sofa with a great movie on the television and a big, steaming mug of spiced apple cider in hand?

Well, when you're in North Carolina and the temperature is routinely swinging from rainy and 55°F and sunny and 80°F, apple cider ice cream seems a bit more appropriate.

Click to read more ...