This summer I'll be trying to make sorbets and a few other summer treats from recipes I've gotten from Pinterest. Here is a look at a few ones I'll be trying soon.
Pink Lemonade Lavender Thyme Sorbet from Boulder Locavore
This sorbet is cooling, thirst-quenching and packed with sophisticated flavors of thyme and lavender to compliment the Pink Lemonade.
Ingredients
- 4 cups naturally-flavored Pink Lemonade (non-sparkling)
- ½ cup granulated Sugar
- 6 small sprigs of fresh Thyme
- 1 teaspoon of dried (culinary) Lavender
- 2 tablespoons Citronage (or equivalent orange liqueur), optional
- Suggested garnish: edible flowers
Instructions
- Combine the lemonade, thyme, lavender and sugar in a heavy small pan. Bring to a light simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Allow to simmer for 2-3 minutes. Turn off heat, allow to cool for 5 minutes, cover and refrigerate until chilled or overnight.
- Strain mixture (discarding the thyme and lavender), stir in the Citronage if using and process in an ice cream maker until frozen. Place in a sealed container in the freezer until fully set or overnight. Garnish if desired and serve!
- Note: if you do not own an ice cream maker, you can freeze the sorbet according to the non-machine method used for Plum Rosemary-Gin Sorbet
Rose Champagne Granita
from Williams SonomaGranita is a cooling, icy slush made during the furnacelike summers in Italy. Like ice cream, granitas come in a variety of sweet, refreshing flavors, such as melon, peach, nectarine, berry or coffee — and the addition of wine or liqueur improves texture while countering the sweetness.
Because the ingredients are so few, be sure to use the finest-quality produce to make the best-tasting granita. Serve alone, garnished with fresh mint or edible flowers, or serve with store-bought cookies for an elegant and well-rounded final course.
Rosé Champagne Granita
1/2 cup sugar
1 bottle rosé Champagne
1 tbsp. fresh lime juice
In a saucepan, stir together sugar and 1 1/2 cups water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally until sugar has completely dissolved. Once mixture has come to a boil, remove from heat and let cool. When mixture has cooled completely, stir in Champagne and lime juice.
Pour mixture into a shallow freezer-safe container. Freeze for about 1 hour, then, using a fork, scrape and stir to break up ice crystals. Return granita to freezer until firm, 8 to 12 hours, occasionally scraping and stirring with a fork.
To serve, spoon granita into small chilled glasses or bowls and serve at once. Serves 6 to 8.
Sauternes and Lemon Honey Granita
6 tbsp. honey
1 bottle Sauternes
Grated lemon zest and juice from 1 lemon
Edible flowers for garnish (optional)
In a saucepan, stir together honey and 1 1/2 cups water. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce to a simmer, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until honey has completely dissolved. Once mixture has returned to a boil, remove from heat and let cool. When mixture has cooled completely, stir in Sauternes and lemon zest and juice.
Pour mixture into a shallow freezer-safe container. Freeze for about 1 hour, then, using a fork, scrape and stir to break up ice crystals. Return granita to freezer until firm, 8 to 12 hours, occasionally scraping and stirring with a fork.
To serve, spoon granita into small chilled glasses or bowls and serve at once. Garnish with edible flowers, if using. Serves 6 to 8.
Visit Williams Sonoma blog here.
Tangerine Sorbet Champagne Floats from Completely Delicious
The inspiration for this dessert came from
Pinterest, as so many good ideas do these days. I took an idea and I ran with it, and ended with this tangerine champagne sorbet served in a glass of champagne. Something similar has probably been done before, maybe thousands of times, but not by me. And it blew me away.
Here’s an ice cream float for grown ups, perfect for a dinner party with friends. The citrus sorbet shines even brighter with sparking wine and the whole dessert is light, bubbly, and fun. I think my New Year’s Eve just got a little more awesome.
Making ice cream and sorbets without an ice cream machine
I love my ice cream machine, and I encourage you to get one if you can. But if you don’t have one, you can still enjoy ice cream and sorbets made at home.
- Chill your ice cream or sorbet mixture completely.
- Place the mixture in a chilled freezer-friendly dish in the freezer.
- Every 45 minutes, break up any frozen chunks around the edges with a spatula or whisk. Make sure that all chunks are completely removed and mixture is smooth.
- The mixture will become thicker each time you check on it, until eventually you have a uniformly smooth frozen ice cream or sorbet.
Tangerine Sorbet Champagne Floats
A light fruity sorbet of fresh tangerine juice and champagne, served in a glass of chilled champagne.
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups (600 ml) fresh tangerine juice
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) sparkling wine
- 3/4 cup (150 grams) sugar
- Additional sparkling wine, for serving
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, heat the sparkling wine and 1/2 cup of the tangerine juice. Add the sugar and stir until dissolved. Place the mixture in a bowl and add the remaining tangerine juice. Chill completely in the fridge.
- Fresh the mixture in an ice cream machine according to manufacturer's instructions. Sorbet will be soft. Place the sorbet in the freezer for several hours to firm up.
- To serve, scoop the sorbet into wine glasses or champagne flutes. Pour champagne over the sorbet. Serve immediately.
Note: I used Minneola Tangelos but any kind of tangerine, or any other orange citrus could be used.
