Friday, June 26, 2009

Podcast! An EASY, Frosty Summer Treat

Oh My Goodness!! Is it ever HOT outside!! Let’s make something ICE COLD to eat. I have made Fruit Sorbet/Italian Ice/Granita since forever. When my children were young, I’d pour a bottle of natural juice into a bowl and set it in the freezer. Every few hours I’d take it out, break it into chunks and run it through the food processor. Then I’d put it back in the freezer and do it again two hours later. it was always ready at the end of the day.

Before I had a food processor, I’d just blend fresh fruits together in my blender, add simple syrup to taste, then pour the mixture into a shallow glass baking dish, and put that into the freezer. Every few hours I’d take it out and scrape it with a fork to keep it from freezing into a solid block.

I always served this as the fruit course with dinner when the weather was this hot. My children LOVED it!

You can make Fruit Sorbet out of almost anything. Don’t worry if TCF doesn’t have kumquats or white peaches – no worries! Substitute mangos, cherries, oranges, pineapple, lemons. Below I’ll share even more fruit ice ideas and tricks.




Alright, here are some things to consider:

Amounts don’t matter – proportions DO. So, after you’ve tasted the fruit mixture and you’re happy with the balance of flavors, add the simple syrup to taste, then freeze in the way that works best for you.

Don’t be afraid to add fresh herbs! Really! Lemon Ice with a little mint or rosemary is really, really good! Strawberry Ice is good with rosemary, too. Pineapple ice is good with basil, not kidding! Just don’t go crazy with the herbs – a little goes a long, long way.

Here’s another freezing trick: Make sure the fruit you’re using is chilled well. Put it into a blender with sugar to taste and ice cubes, and grind everything until the texture is like a slushie. Then put into the freezer and freeze overnight.

So – if you have fruit that really needs to be used up, or you haven’t gotten to drinking all the juices you received this week, pour them into your processor bowl, blender or right into the freezer in a glass pan – it’s SO EASY and your family will LOVE YOU FOR IT!

And finally - for the big kids - after you've put a serving of fruit ice into your ice cream dish, NOW is the time to add that vodka, Grand Marnier, or even a little rum on that pineapple. For an extra-special presentation, add herb leaves, zested lemon or orange or any other thinly sliced fruit to dress it up.

check out this post at www.dupagemamas.com

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