Raspberry Sherbet

For those of you not in the know, Sherbet contains milk, eggs, or cream, but not all three (like ice cream). Sorbet does not contain milk, eggs, or cream, and thus is more like a fruit ice.

While the original recipe contains whole milk, I substituted soy milk. Depending on which variety you use, and how strictly you keep kosher, this could be considered 'dairy', because a number of soy milk varieties are produced on dairy equipment, and thus are considered dairy for the purposes of hekasher. But, considering soy milk doesn't contain any milk ingredients, I'm choosing to label it pareve.



Raspberry Sherbert
Originally found at Raspberry Sherbert

1 pound frozen unsweetened raspberries, thawed
1 cup granulated white sugar
2 cups soy milk
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Place the raspberries in a mixer, and mix until berries are broken up. Add sugar and mix well. Slowly add in soy milk while mixing, then add in the lemon juice. If desired, strain the mixture to remove the seeds.

Transfer the mixture to the chilled container of your ice cream machine and process according to the manufacturer's instructions. Once made, transfer the raspberry sherbet to a chilled container and place in the freezer for a few hours, or until it reaches the desired consistency. If the sherbet becomes too hard, place in the refrigerator until softened before serving.

My Notes:
This wasn't quite as good as I was expecting it to be, but it was still good. I think it may have had something to do with the consistency. When we took it out of the ice cream maker, it had the consistency of a smoothie, rather than of an ice cream.

I particularly liked it mixed with the vanilla ice cream and a dash of chocolate. This one is quick, easy, and cheap. It's much more fool-proof than the vanilla ice cream, so it might be easier to start with this one if you're new to ice cream making.

Vanilla Ice Cream

After I finished taking my board exams, a couple of my girlfriends (whose husbands are still studying for their exams) decided to have a girls night. Which consisted of ice cream and movies. We had access to three ice cream makers, so I decided to look up a couple recipes for bases. This is the result of that search.

I *almost* missed the photo op for this one. I managed to snag a photo as one of the girls was cleaning the rest of the ice cream out of the maker.



Vanilla Ice Cream
Originally found at Joy Of Baking

2 cups half-and-half
5 large egg yolks
2/3 cup granulated white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

In a stainless steel bowl beat the egg yolks and sugar until light and fluffy (about two minutes). In a small saucepan, over medium-high heat, bring the half-and-half to the scalding point (the milk begins to foam up). Gradually pour the scalding half-and-half into the whipped egg yolk mixture, making sure you keep whisking constantly so the eggs don't curdle. If any lumps do form, strain the mixture first before heating.

Place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, cook until the custard thickens enough that it coats the back of a spoon (170 degrees F) (77 degrees C). The term 'coat a spoon' is a technique used mainly as a way to test when an egg-based custard or sauce is done. A spoon, usually wooden, is placed in the custard and, when the spoon is raised, the film of custard on the back of the spoon will stay in place even when you draw a line with your finger through the middle of the custard.

Immediately remove the custard from the heat and continue to stir the custard for a few minutes so it does not overcook. At this point stir in the vanilla extract. Cover and let cool to room temperature and then refrigerate the custard until it is completely cold (several hours but preferably overnight).

Transfer the cold custard to the chilled container of your ice cream machine and process according to the manufacturer's instructions. Freeze until firm.

My Notes:
I was nervous about this one. I don't have a plain stainless steel bowl that I can put over water, so I ended up putting the custard directly over the heat, and it came out slightly lumpy. So, I strained it to get some of the chunks out, and it seemed to turn out okay. It was the first ice cream that was gone, at least.

I must say, having tried to make ice cream without the ice cream maker, and then with it... it's so much easier with the ice cream maker, and it takes so much less time. We ate it right away, when it was still in the soft serve consistency. It's a little on the bland side for just ice cream, so I highly suggest mixing something in with it, but it's good either way.

Peanut Butter 'Fudge'

Peanut Butter 'Fudge'
Originally found at LJ Cookie Exchange

1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3-4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips (optional)

Combine butter and peanut butter in a large microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 2 minutes on high; stir. Microwave for another 2 minutes. Add vanilla and powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, and stir to combine. The fudge should be stiff, but not crumbly, and will lose its sheen. Spread into a buttered 8 by 8-inch pan. Melt the chocolate chips (in the microwave, 30 seconds at a time), and pour over the peanut butter mixture. Smooth out.

Cover and refrigerate until cool, about 2 hours. Cut into 1-inch pieces and store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.

My Notes:
I had a hard time getting the powdered sugar lumps out of the fudge, but overall, it wasn't bad. It's not something that I'd really consider 'fudge', and probably something that I'm more likely to bring somewhere than make for myself, but it's good.

One of these days I'll master making actual fudge, complete with the melting sugar and everything. One day.

Lemon Raspberry Cupcakes

Lemon Raspberry Cupcakes
Originally found in Season's Best Recipe Collection (Spring/Summer 2011)

Zest of 1 lemon
3/4 cup sugar
3 Tbsp canola oil
1/3 cup plain yogurt
1/3 cup vanilla soymilk
1 Tbsp lemon extract
1 1/4 cups flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 egg whites
1/4 cup raspberry preserves

3 squares white chocolate for baking
2 tbsp plain yogurt
1 1/2 tsp lemon extract
Fresh raspberries

Preheat oven to 350. Line a muffin tin with liners and set aside. Mix together sugar and oil; add zest, yogurt, soymilk, and lemon extract. Mix well. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Sift into wet ingredients and mix until well blended. Whisk egg whites vigorously until very foamy; fold into batter.

Scoop batter into liners, about 2/3rds of the way full. Drop 1 tsp of preserves into the center of each cupcake and press down lightly. Bake 15-17 minutes, until tops spring back when lightly pressed. Cool for 5 minutes, remove from pan, and allow to cool completely.

Microwave chocolate 45-60 seconds, until almost melted. Stir until smooth. Add yogurt and extract. Dip cupcakes into ganache, coating the tops evenly. Garnish with raspberries.

My Notes:

These cupcakes are very moist and dense. And while I don't typically like white chocolate, the ganache is mixed with enough flavor that it doesn't quite taste like white chocolate. They were a hit among my friends, as usual.

The raspberry preserves will sink to the bottom, so if you want to keep them in the center of the cupcake, I've heard adding some cornstarch to the mix will do the trick.

Artichoke Chicken Hodgepodge

No image.... yet.

Artichoke Chicken Hodgepodge
From Naomi's Kitchen

1 small onion
2-3 garlic cloves
1 lb chicken breast, cut into cubes
1-2 cans artichoke hearts, chopped
1 small can black olives
Several cherry tomatoes, quartered
Olive Oil

Heat a small amount of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until soft. Add chicken and cook until no longer pink. Add tomatoes and cook until slightly soft. Add artichoke hearts and olives and heat through.

Serve over rice or noodles.

My Notes:
This is one of those dishes that my friend made by just tossing together a few things that she had in her cabinet. It has since become one of her and her husband's favorite dishes. I've had it twice, and I've liked it both times. And it's my sort of dish... it has all the major food groups and only requires two pans (one for the dish, one for the rice/noodles) and about a half hour of preparation.

I recommend rinsing the artichoke hearts and olives, as both are rather salty, so this dish can get very salty very fast. I'm also the type of person who doesn't add salt to anything, so keep that in mind.

If you want more sauce, add 1/2 cup or a cup of chicken broth. Enjoy :)