Ice Cream/Sorbet/Frozen Yogurt Recipes

[tortoise]

Ever since receiving a Cuisinart ice cream maker from my darling Ginny last Christmas, I have been eagerly seeking new recipes for frozen confections.

Here is one of my favorite ice cream recipes, which is also incredibly simple (you'll be amazed at the complexity of flavor that can arise from just 4 ingredients):

Burnt Caramel Ice Cream

• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 cups whole milk

Combine the milk and cream, then divide in half (half of the mixture will be cooked with the caramel, half will be added later). Combine the sugar and salt in a dry pan and set over medium heat. Tilt and shake the pan to evenly distribute the ingredients. In 2 to 3 minutes, all of the sugar will have melted, the mixture will start to turn various shades of brown, and it will start to steam. Watch the pan carefully at this point, and as soon as black spots start to appear, pour in half of the milk/cream mixture. The hot caramel will seize dramatically into an alarming sticky mess, but fear not. Stir constantly with a heat-proof silicone spatula until the mixture is completely homogenized. Continue heating for another 20 minutes, stirring regularly, until the mixture thickens and darkens.

Pour the mixture through a strainer (to remove any dodgy bits) into the remaining cream/milk, helping it through the strainer with a spatula. Stir well, then chill at least 3 hours (overnight is better) before pouring it into your ice cream maker, then follow the manufacturer's directions to freeze.

The result is a truly delicious, complex flavor, sorta like the top of a creme brulee or the skin of a toasted marshmallow. It's also not cloyingly sweet like many ice creams, which suits my taste very well.

Anyone else have any ice cream/sorbet/frozen yogurt recipes that you'd like to share?

 

[Ginny]

<smiling at my love>

vroommmmm!.....his is red, of course....it makes a great Christmas gift....about $50......try www.chefscatalog.com


you need to post your recipe for the one you make with the fresh meyer lemons.....

 

[tortoise]

Yes! The meyer lemon sorbet rocks, and there is a fresh crop of them on my grandparents' tree. The "recipe" for all of my fresh fruit sorbets is pretty much the same: just make a simple syrup by heating equal parts water and sugar until the sugar dissolves completely, then cool and mix with fresh fruit juice and/or puree until it suits your taste (things tend to lose a bit of sweetness when frozen, though, so adjust accordingly). I keep at least a quart of the simple syrup around for whenever the sorbet mood might strike.

I've tried this will all sorts of fruit juices and purees, including:

• meyer lemon
• tangerine
• ruby red grapefruit
• lime
• apricot
• mango

I love them all, but the citrus varieties are my favorite, as I'm all about the tart n' tangy.

 

[tortoise]

Chocolate Orgasm Ice Cream

I posted this way back on the Chocoholics thread. This is a chocolate lover's wet dream:

• 6 oz of the BEST bittersweet chocolate you can find (I used Scharffen Berger, my fave)
• 4 cups half-n-half (or 2 cups heavy cream + 2 cups milk)
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon real vanilla extract

Break the chocolate bars into tiny pieces. To do this, I put them in a heavy gallon ziploc bag and used a rolling pin; if the bars are thick, though, you can use a serrated knife to "chip" away at the chocolate, starting at a corner. Pour the dairy products into a two quart saucepan and add the chocolate pieces. Heat on medium, stirring frequently, until the mixture is almost boiling and the chocolate melts completely. Reduce heat to low.

Meanwhile, beat the egg yolks in a medium bowl with the sugar and vanilla until the mixture is pale yellow (about a minute or so). Temper the egg mixture (so the eggs don't scramble) by stirring in about 4 tablespoons of the hot chocolate mixture, then stir the tempered eggs SLOWLY into the chocolate. Heat on low until the mixture has thickened slightly and it coats the back of a spoon (about 3 minutes). Transfer the mixture to a plastic container and allow to cool completely by placing it in the fridge overnight or, if you can't wait that long (which, given the overwhelming chocolate smell in your kitchen, is highly likely), you can cool the container in an ice water bath for 30 minutes or until chilled. Then just follow the manufacturer's instructions for your particular ice cream maker (I have a Cuisinart, which takes about 25 minutes to freeze this recipe).

 

[peachykeen]

You know tortoise, I think we are going to have to lobby for Laurel to add a Cooking forum to this site.

BTW did not get a chance to make the gumbo as Mr Keen was unexpectedly called out of town on business the past few days but it is still pretty high on my 'to do' list.

 

[Nora]

tortoise, tortoise, tortoise...they don't call me The Sorbet Slut for nothing, ya know.

Oh wait. Nobody calls me that. *grumbles* (btw, did you copy the Cosmopolitan Sorbet that Someplace posted for me the other day?)

Here's my faves (copied from various sources). Actually, these first three I made at the same time, then served a scoop of each in a dessert glass (looks like a tiny trifle dish) but it'd look cool in a snifter or wineglass, too. As a threesome, I called it "almond joy sorbet" (cuz I'm a dork). Oh, and I should add that I made this as a dessert for a friend who was on a lowfat diet. It's not hugely lowfat, but it's better than most desserts without sacrificing flavor/texture.

SPANISH ALMOND SORBET

INGREDIENTS
· 1 cup of blanched almonds, toasted
· 2 cups spring water (flat mineral water)
· 3/4 cup sugar
· pinch cinnamon
· 6 tablespoons light corn syrup
· 2 tablespoons Amaretto (almond liquor)
· 1 teaspoon lemon zest
·
METHOD
Place the almonds in a food processor and grind to a powder. Place the water, sugar, corn syrup, liquor, zest and cinnamon in a large saucepan and add the ground nuts. Stir over medium heat until the sugar dissolves and the mixture comes to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes. Allow to cool
Pour the mixture into an ice-cream maker and churn until semi-frozen. Transfer to a freezer proof container and freeze for about 3 hours or until firm.
If you do not have an ice cream machine, pour the room temperature mixture into a stainless steel bowl and freeze, stirring every 2 hours until firm.

**My notes: This was a little gritty, but the flavor was OUT of this world! Next time I make it I'm going to strain it through either medium cheesecloth or a wire strainer before freezing.

COCONUT LIME SORBET
Coconut Sorbet

1 15-ounce can cream of coconut (such as Coco Lòpez)
1 cup ice-cold water
1/2 cup rum (malibu is good here)
juice of half a lime

Reduce rum to 2 tablespoons over a medium flame.

Whisk all ingredients in medium bowl. Process in icecream freezer or transfer to 11x7x2-inch glass baking dish. Freeze until frozen, stirring every 30 minutes, about 3 hours. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and keep frozen.)

**My notes: Heaven. Perfection incarnate. Utter joy. This is my favorite of the three. (ps..squeeze your own limes. the pulp is wonderful to run across when eating the sorbet...unless you're a pulp-hater.)

CHOCOLATE SORBET

12 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
3 cups water
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
1/8 teaspoon salt

Finely chop chocolate in processor. Stir 3 cups water, sugar, espresso powder and salt in heavy saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves and syrup comes to boil. With processor running, gradually add boiling syrup to chocolate; blend until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl. Transfer mixture to bowl; chill.
Process mixture in ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions. Transfer to container; freeze overnight.

**my notes: Didn't love it. It was good, but it wasn't perfect.

 

[Nora]

My other standby (which is a good one cuz most folk always have the ingredients the house).

Caramel Sorbet

1 cup sugar
2 cups water
1/4teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preparation:
In a dry heavy saucepan cook sugar, undisturbed, over moderate heat until it begins to melt and continue to cook, stirring with a fork, until it is melted completely and a deep caramel. Remove pan from heat and carefully add water down side of pan. Return pan to heat and cook caramel, stirring, until it is dissolved completely. Stir in salt and vanilla and chill until cold. Freeze sorbet in an ice-cream maker. Sorbet may be made 1 week ahead. Makes about 3 cups.

** My notes: When you pour the water in, be extra careful and make sure you pour it down the side of the pan. The sugar stuff’s gonna harden, but just keep stirring it and it dissolves in the water eventually.

 

[Nora]

I made a really incredible cardamom/pistachio ice cream from this book a friend sent me. It tastes like frozen Indian rice pudding, only without the rice. If I get off my ass and go upstairs, I'll grab the book and type it up...

 

[Ginny]

<mouth watering>

mmmmmmm all of the recipes posted.....y'all really do turn me on when you talk food....your passion.....yay!

 

[Nora]

Only seems fair since you keep us all on edge with yours, Ginny!!

 

[tortoise]

tortoise, tortoise, tortoise...they don't call me The Sorbet Slut for nothing, ya know.

Oh wait. Nobody calls me that. *grumbles* (btw, did you copy the Cosmopolitan Sorbet that Someplace posted for me the other day?)

No, I missed that! If you can re-find it, I'd be most obliged.

COCONUT LIME SORBET

They all sound delicious, but this one sounds especially good. I've always loved the combo of coconut and lime. My favorite Thai soup (hell, my favorite soup period), is Tom Kha Kai, which has coconut milk, lime, chicken, and the usual accompaniment of Thai spices (lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, thai basil, etc.).

In fact... hmmm.... I wonder... I've had desserts which used lemongrass as a flavor component (which almost becomes more of an aromatic component; I love the smell of lemongrass). I've also tried a lime and basil sorbet that I saw on one of Jamie Oliver's shows, which was very good. I might have to do some lime/coconut/thai herbs sorbet tinkering (after trying the original recipe, of course).

CHOCOLATE SORBET

I've made this one, with Scharffen Berger bittersweet. It was very nice for a change, but I do have a slight bent toward the tangier sorbets. You don't really taste the coffee, it just seems to intensify and deepen the chocolate flavor.

 

[tortoise]

My other standby (which is a good one cuz most folk always have the ingredients the house).

Caramel Sorbet

This one sounds VERY cool, like a fat-free variation of the burnt caramel ice cream (which is great, as I really prefer sorbets in general). I shall try this one this weekend for sure!

 

[tortoise]

I made a really incredible cardamom/pistachio ice cream from this book a friend sent me. It tastes like frozen Indian rice pudding, only without the rice. If I get off my ass and go upstairs, I'll grab the book and type it up...

I've had this ice cream in one of my favorite Indian restaurants in Pasadena, and it's quite good, but I've never found the recipe to make it myself. I think the restaurant one had almonds, too, but I'm not positive. Either way, I'd love to see the recipe!

 

[tortoise]

<mouth watering>

mmmmmmm all of the recipes posted.....y'all really do turn me on when you talk food....your passion.....yay!

Have I told you lately that I love you?

You are the most passionate, most mouth-watering woman that ever lived.

 

[Nora]

I hope you get to try some of those, tortoise. The caramel one is the simplest cuz, like I said, we've always got the stuff in the house, ya know?

The coconut one was the result of some experimentation. I think adding herbage to it would ROCK, but you might wanna take the rum out if you do. It's not alcohol-y since you reduce it so much, but it's pretty potent in there.

Someone remind me when I get home to post the cardamom/pistachio and the cosmo one (reprint from Someplace). Also, the book from which I got the cardemom/pistachio one has a lot of *really* neat, unique flavors so I'll take a scan through and see if I think any others would appeal to you, although be forewarned that I haven't tried them yet.

 

[Nora]

Cardamom and Pistachio Ice Cream

1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup water
12 oz evaporated milk
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
2 oz (weight, not volume) shelled pistachio nuts, roughly chopped
1/2 cup whipping cream

Stir the sugar into the water in a heavy pan and heat gently until the sugar has dissolved completely. Raise the heat and boil the syrup for 5 minutes. Set aside to cool, then stir in the evaporated milk, cardamom, pistachio nuts and cream.

Freeze in an ice cream maker, following the manufacturer's instructions.

**my notes: This is a little bit icy, but the flavor's incredible! Make sure your pistachios are extremely fresh and crunchy. I added a smidge more cardamom.

From Ice Cream, Sorbets, Frozen Yogurts, Parfaits, Bombes and More by Shona Crawford Poole. Tortoise, you have to get a copy of this. The flavors are incredible! Some of the ones I have marked to try are Vanilla Ricotta Gelato, Carob and Marscarpone Ice Cream, Champagne Sorbet (imagine it done with orange juice as a Mimosa Sorbet on New Year's day), Saffron and Mace Ice Cream, Melon and Ginger Ice Cream and Honey Ice Cream with Lavender.

 

[Nora]

Someplace's Cosmopolitan Sorbet

Cosmopolitan Sorbet
Makes about 1 quart

2 cups sugar
2 cups water
5-1/2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries (not thawed; 24 oz)
1/4 cup vodka
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons Cointreau or other orange liqueur

(requires an ice cream maker)

Bring sugar and water to a boil in a 3-qt heavy saucepan, sitrring until sugar is dissolved. Add cranberries and simmer, uncovered, until berries are collapsed, 8 to 10 minutes. Pour through a large sieve into a bowl, gently pressing on solids to extract liquid (without forcing pulp throught), and discard solids. Cool syrup, then chill, covered, until cold.

Stir in vodka, lime juice, and Cointreau and freeze in ice cream maker. Transfer to an airtight container and put in freezer to harden.

Photo shows single ice cream scoop-size balls served in martini glasses -- very nice rosy red color -- quite elegant.

 

[Secret Pleasure]

Someone once made champagne sorbet or ice cream (not sure which it was as it was long ago) and an orange sorbet that tasted like an orange creme bar.

Has anyone run across a recipe for either of these? I'd love to try my hand at it.

 

[Nora]

From the same book as above, but a recipe I haven't tried yet (caveat emptor...or freezer...anyway)

Champagne Sorbet

2 juicy oranges
8 tablespoons water
1/2 cup castor sugar**
2 cups champagne (or sparkling wine)
4 tablespoons brandy
1/4 teaspoon angostura or orange bitters

**Note: castor sugar's a British thang. It's the equivalent of what's sold in US Supermarkets as "Superfine" sugar. If you don't wanna buy superfine, just process regular granulated sugar in a food processor for a couple of minutes.

Cut the zest from the oranges using a very sharp knife or vegetable peeler, taking care not to include any of the pith. Squeeze, strain and reserve the juice of the oranges.

Add the orange zest and sugar to 8 tablespoons of water in a pan and heat gently until the sugar has dissolved completely. Raise the heat and boil the syrup for 5 minutes. Set aside to cool completely.

When the syrup is cold, discard the orange zest and stir in the orange juice, champagne, brandy and bitters.

Freeze in an ice cream maker following the manufacturer's instructions.

**Author's note: Like champagne cocktails, champagne ices call for nothing too grand in the way of wine. Alcohol inhibits the formation of ice crystals, so this ice is unlikely to freeze rock hard at domestic freezer temperatures and should need no ripening (softening) before serving.

 

[Nora]

Someone once made champagne sorbet or ice cream (not sure which it was as it was long ago) and an orange sorbet that tasted like an orange creme bar.

Has anyone run across a recipe for either of these? I'd love to try my hand at it.

I don't have one for an orange sorbet that's creamy, but I'm sure a web search should yield some results. Sorry =(

 

[Secret Pleasure]

Thank you Nora

I'd received an ice cream maker for my birthday last year... after much hinting. Still haven't broken it in yet!

Think one of these recipes will do the trick soon.

Thanks again!

 

[Nora]

You're welcome, hon =) I have the same type that Tortoise posted above. My hint for using it is to keep the bowl in the freezer at all times. Then you're not stuck waiting for it to freeze before you can use it.

Once you use it, you'll NEVER stop! Especially with the sorbets since they're *so* inexpensive and simple. Ice creams I sort of avoid, because I find that once I pay for all that cream I could have bought a pint of Amy's (local creamery that I rave about frequently) for half the cost. I like the cardamom & pistachio one cuz it calls for evaporated and only a smidge of cream. That cost I can justify!

Oh, and don't put the dasher in upside down like I invariably do.

 

[tortoise]

Re: Cardamom and Pistachio Ice Cream

From Ice Cream, Sorbets, Frozen Yogurts, Parfaits, Bombes and More by Shona Crawford Poole. Tortoise, you have to get a copy of this. The flavors are incredible! Some of the ones I have marked to try are Vanilla Ricotta Gelato, Carob and Marscarpone Ice Cream, Champagne Sorbet (imagine it done with orange juice as a Mimosa Sorbet on New Year's day), Saffron and Mace Ice Cream, Melon and Ginger Ice Cream and Honey Ice Cream with Lavender.

Thanks, Nora! The recipe sounds delicious, as does the book. I shall keep an eye out for it.

 

[tortoise]

Re: Someplace's Cosmopolitan Sorbet

Cosmopolitan Sorbet

Now this one I'm positive I'll like, given the ingredients. Thanks to someplace for posting and to Nora for reposting.

 

[Nora]

yw, hon. I got it as a gift, so it was probably a close-out somewhere. They have in the back of the book the publisher's web address: www.conran-octopus.co.uk