Flavor #75 - Champagne Sorbet

The final flavor of 2014 brings me to 3/4 of the way through this challenge. There is no better way to ring in the new year than with Champagne Sorbet.

1/12 Cups of Champagne

1 Cup of Sugar

1 Tablespoon of Corn Syrup

1 1/2 Cups of Grapefruit Juice

1/4 Cup of Lemon Juice

1 Teaspoon of Lemon Zest & Grapefruit Zest.

Remarkably simple to make as you take the champagne, sugar, syrup and zest and heat it to a low boil to burn off some alcohol. Add the juice after it comes off the stove and let it all cool before adding it to the machine.

Happy New Year!

Enjoy

Flavor #74 - Jesus Juice Sorbet

I wish I had invented this, but there are recipes everywhere. Alice first pointed this one out to me about the same time I tripped over it on a Thrillist post. For those that do not the origins of Jesus Juice, this is not based on any biblical passages or interpretations. This Jesus Juice is all about the drink Michael Jackson allegedly gave his young male guests when they came to Neverland for a sleep-over. The story is he would hand the kid a can of soda that had wine mixed in. The rest is history.

Wine and Coca Cola sounds terrible. Even mixing this stuff seemed like bad idea as it was going along. However, the flavors all meld very well with none of them really dominating the final taste. In fact every spoonful seems to contain a different set of interesting flavor combinations.

1 Cup of Sugar

1 Cup of Water

1 1/2 Cup of Cola with real sugar

3/4 Cup of Red Wine

1 Tablespoon of Red Wine Vinegar

1 Cinnamon Stick

1 Pinch of Salt

I can usually find Mexican Coke with real sugar with no problem. Shopping for it yesterday, I was not so lucky. However, I did come across Pepsi in glass bottles made with real sugar! It was not a Mexican import and I could not even tell you the last time I saw Pepsi in glass bottles. But it worked! 

A few things of importance; toss the wine in with the simple syrup after the boil begins to allow some of the alcohol to evaporate. This will allow the mix to freeze easier. Don't be afraid of the vinegar smell as it will fade out and neutralize the sweetness of the sugar content. Add the cinnamon stick to the mix after it comes off the boil and take it out after it cools.

I like this flavor and will be giving it another go 'round this summer.

Enjoy!

1 cup sugar  1 cup water  1 cinnamon stick  2 cups cola [Mexican Coke] 1 cup good-quality dry red wine  2 Tbl red wine vinegar  1 tsp salt - See more at: http://matthew-rowley.blogspot.com/2012/09/jesus-juice-sorbet.html#sthash.KV6deFWh.dpuf

1 cup sugar  1 cup water  1 cinnamon stick  2 cups cola [Mexican Coke] 1 cup good-quality dry red wine  2 Tbl red wine vinegar  1 tsp salt - See more at: http://matthew-rowley.blogspot.com/2012/09/jesus-juice-sorbet.html#sthash.KV6deFWh.dpuf

Flavor #73 - Eggnog Ice Cream

I have to say I am not a big fan of the nog. I have never understood it's appeal. A cold glass of thick custard cream, spiked or not, is not my idea of a refreshing drink. It is, however, the base of most ice cream flavors, so BOOM! I am now a fan. At least when it comes to this holiday frozen treat.

2 Cups of Eggnog

1 Cup of Heavy Cream

1 10oz can of Condensed Milk

1 Teaspoon of Vanilla

Include pie at your own risk

The Eggnog is practically an ice cream base on it's own. I've tried running it through the machine on it's own with no luck. Adding the extra cream and sweetness from the condensed milk keeps the nog from freezing into a solid brick. Some of the comments ranged from "Best nog ever" to "It just like Vanilla, only thicker." You decide. All I know is I would rather eat it as ice cream that have to drink it down.

Happy Holidays!

Enjoy!

Flavor #72 - Ginger Snap Ice Cream

Christmas time and Christmas flavor. But what took so long? Two new jobs and a broken fridge have kept me away. Thankfully, I was so prolific earlier in this challenge that I can afford a few weeks off from the challenge.

I had planned this one over six weeks ago and almost forgot that I had already purchased the ginger snaps! This should be the first of several holiday flavors so, Ho Ho Ho.

1 1/2 Cups of Heavy Cream

1 1/2 Cups of Milk

1/8 Cup of Cookie Butter

3/4 Cup of Sugar

16 Chopped Ginger Snap Cookies

1 Pinch of Salt

The Cookie Butter inspired me last summer. It was just a matter of waiting until Christmas. Great flavor and a spectacular cookie crunch. And now that I have a working freezer again, there will be more to come!

Enjoy!

Flavor #71 - Slow As Molasses Ice Cream Sandwiches

I found a recipe for an old fashioned New England Molasses Cookie and knew it would go well with Vanilla Ice Cream. It is a simple, old-timey treat.

1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon hot water
2-1/2 tablespoons dark rum, such as Gosling's
3-3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
1-1/2 teaspoons table salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1-1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter, softened, plus more for baking sheets
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup dark molasses

This is one sticky cookie batter. Start be mixing the rum and hot water in a bowl and set aside. Then mix the flour, baking soda and spices in a large bowl. In a third bowl, or better yet, in your mixer, mix the butter and sugar four about 4 minutes until creamy. Add about a third of the flour mix, the rum mix and 1/2 a cup of the molasses. Once suitably mixed, add another third of the flour mix. Finally, add the last of the flour mix and the remaining 1/2 cup of molasses.  If the mix seems too liquid, add more flour then chill for at least an hour.

The recipe I had suggested rolling out the dough and using cookie cutters. I just balled it up and placed them on the cookie sheets.

I used a vanilla ice cream as the smooth nature of the vanilla contrasts so well with the spiciness of the molasses cookie. I would think coffee might go well here too.

Enjoy!

Flavor #70 - Turbo Twix

Now that Halloween is behind us, I can say with confidence that I managed to avoid digging in to the kids Halloween stash this year. However, what I saw did inspire at least one new flavor - Coffee Ice Cream with bite sized Twix mixed in.  This also gave me a chance to use my updated coffee ice cream recipe.

1 1/2 Cups of Heavy Cream

1 1/2 Cups of Milk

3/4 Cup of Sugar

1 Pinch of Salt

1 1/2 Cups of Whole Coffee Beans

4oz of Twix Bites

Add all of your ingredients, except the Twix, to a sauce pan and heat until it steams. Do not bring to a boil. Take the mixture off the heat and let it sit for 30 minutes then strain the coffee beans out of the mixture. You will notice a significant loss of liquid as the beans will soak up almost a whole cup! Chill the mix before you add it to the machine. On the transfer to the hardening container, add the Twix bites. I've noticed making coffee ice cream using this method that you will end up making a much smaller batch with the loss of the overall amount of milk and cream lost in the coffee beans. However, the coffee flavor is much improved!

Enjoy!

Flavor #69 - Cranberry Orange Sorbet

Cranberries have been a part of the local cuisine here in New England dating back to the Native Americans. there are cranberry bogs all throughout southeast Massachusetts and have played a big part in the local economy. Most of the time, the bogs don't look line much.

But once the berries are ready for harvest, the farmer will flood the bog and rake out the cranberries, which will float to the surface when they are ripe. 

For years, cranberries were something you only had at Thanksgiving while cranberry juice was considered something you only drank while on a diet. Now, these bitter little berries are everywhere, except in your freezer for desert.

It took me a while before I found a cranberry recipe I liked as I was looking for one where I did not have to over sweeten with sugar to compensate for the tartness of the berry. This is the problem I have always had with cranberry cocktails, there is so much sugar in the drink. The orange juice makes for a nice sweet contrast. Still, there is a lot of sugar in this sucker!

5 Cups Washed Fresh Cranberries

1 1/2 Cup Sugar

1 1/2 Cups Water

1 Half Cup Orange juice

1/8 Cup Lemon Juice

1 Teaspoon Salt

1/4 Cup Light Corn Syrup

All the lot into a sauce pan over medium heat and bring to a low boil. Wait for the cranberries to pop before taking the pot off the stove. Cool the mixture before adding it to a blender. make sure the top is on tight before you liquify the mix or else your entire kitchen will look like a scene from Dexter. Once the mix is liquified, strain the solids out of the mix and chill until you are ready to place the mix in your machine.

I've found a few things that sets this sorbet apart. First is how the initial taste is that of the orange followed by the weaker bitter cranberry after taste. The second thing is how creamy this sorbet is with its texture. I attribute this to the corn syrup in the recipe.

Enjoy!