It's Gettin' Hot in Here

The Summer is wrapping up folks. Sad but true. Labor Day has come and gone and you know what that means. Time to put away the white pants and flip flops and start pulling out the sweaters because Fall is just around the corner. 

No, wait. It isn't. Not in Southern California. It's 83 degrees and muggy and it needs to stop. Stop I tell you. This heat is madness. The reality of the situation is that we have no air in our home. It was built in the early 1920's and air conditioning was never installed. Most of the year it is perfect but in the Summer months it is pretty close to the temperature of hell. What does this have to do with food you ask? Everything! Who wants to cook when it's over 80 degrees in your home? Not this girl! So, recently I did what any person in their right sweaty mind would do - I made sorbet. Six. Different. Kinds. Why? Because I can that's why. 

You may be questioning my sanity and my judgment at this point and I understand (sort of). Why make it when you can buy it already made? I'm of the opposite mind. Why buy it when I can make it - and make it better! Oh yes, you heard me - BETTER! You can make any flavor your little heart desires. AND you can use what you already have in your fridge. Don't shake your head at me - it works and you know it. I can prove it. Stay with me here - there's a point to this story.

Recently I had surgery (no, no, I'm fine really - don't despair) and there was a good portion of time where my eating habits consisted of things like mashed potatoes, pureed carrots and yes, baby food. I've come to understand why babies hate this stuff. It ends up on the floor for a reason. It's not good folks. Not good. Anyway, we had some pureed bananas, peaches and pears in our possession and so I decided that the best way to utilize these mashed products of nastiness was to turn them into something palatable and satisfying. A true culinary feat if ever presented with one. And so, sorbet it was.

Now, sorbet can be tricky. Too much water and not enough sugar and you end up with an ice pop. Too much alcohol (do I have your attention now) and it won't set up/freeze properly. Too much sugar and it turns out to be far too sweet and then must be reduced to something entirely different. See what I mean - tricky. However, it is also very simple. 

Let's take the pear sorbet as an example - because that happened to be my favorite of all the sorbet mixtures I made. You can do this with fresh or canned pears but I was using pureed pears because that is what was in the fridge. I mixed eight ounces of pureed pears with 3/4 cup of water, 1/2 cup of sugar (dissolved in the water), 1/4 cup of white wine, the juice of 1 lemon and 1 tbsp. honey. I chilled the mixture overnight and then placed it in my ice cream maker and prepared according to manufacturer's instructions. Easy. If you are using fresh or canned pears, try the below recipe.

Ingredients

• 5 small pears, peeled and sliced
• 3/4 cup white wine or apple juice if you prefer
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 4-1/2 teaspoons lemon juice 

Directions

1. In a large saucepan, combine all ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 8-10 minutes or until pears are tender. Cool slightly.
2. Pour into a food processor or blender, cover and process for 1-2 minutes or until smooth. Cool completely and process in ice cream maker according to instructions. 
3. Just before serving, process again in a food processor for 1-2 minutes or until smooth if too icy. Spoon into dessert dishes. Yield: 4 servings.

This is going to sound crazy, but this particular sorbet is fantastic with a home-made blueberry compote. Something about the lightness of the pear sorbet and the tartness of the blueberries makes this a combination that is just delightful. Yeah, you heard me DELIGHTFUL.

Keep in mind that this is just the beginning of what you can do with your friend the ice cream/sorbet maker. Currently in our freezer are several tasty sorbet concoctions awaiting their after-dinner consumption including banana brown sugar, peach white wine, pear white wine and honey, latte and a very tasty lemon (one of our favorites). You can experiment with so many different flavors it will leave your head spinning. I've made a chocolate orange sorbet that is AMAZING but we will leave that one for another time as it is quite rich and more of a fall/winter or special occasion dessert - stay tuned for that one. 

I almost forgot the bonus!  Since there is no dairy, it is fantastic for those who are lactose intolerant. Ding, ding, ding - BONUS! But, if you wanted that creamy texture of ice cream, you could make (which I have so I know this works) an avocado sorbet. Aaaah! Is your head exploding yet from the possibilities??

So, grab yourself some tasty ingredients and zip them, whip them and blend them into a slurry of tastiness, freeze it up and enjoy the rest of your Summer! I, myself, am going to go stick my head in the freezer and pretend it's October. Look out penguins here I come!