Happy New Year

Apricot Sorbet...

I used the basic fruit sorbet recipe to make an apricot sorbet  just used the same amount of apricot as I did for the blueberries and strawberries combined  and about 1/4 cup lemon to keep it from browning as it chilled.
The fruit I was given at the end of the season last year and we had been using them for smoothies but thought this would be a little different and give the girls a little bit of an easy treat in the freezer instead of having to stop and make a smoothie they just have to get a scoop out of the freezer so much easier for them.  Made the first batch on New Years morning.  Have enough prepared to make 2 more batches.  Then I can probably make about 3 more batches with the fruit I still have in the freezer then I want to go on and make pomegranate sorbet so much easier these days since you can buy that juice already in a bottle then when I was a kid growing up in Cali.  Not so easy then had to go pick the fruit off of my Vova's tree cut open pick out all those little pieces of fruit and mash would take forever to get the juice to make jelly, or this type of thing.   Now I can have a taste of home with out as much work.  That is not to say I will make it all the time as the one disadvantage to it already being juiced over the tree is one cost 12 dollars a bottle and one is free (not counting labor here).   But the 12 dollars is still probably cheaper than the labor.  My children also want me to make some ice-creams in the near future so this little attachment is really going to get a work out too bad I do not have 2 or 3 of them I could get so much more made at one time.

Homemade Sorbets...

Got a new attachment from Santa for Christmas so we made homemade sorbet for new-years eve.

I am using a kitchen aide ice-cream maker attachment to make these.  The recipes are my own to make these and are listed below in the read more section.

Basic syrup recipe

• 2 cups water 
• 2 cups sugar

prep

1. Place in a large pot to boil or it may boil over. Heat the water/sugar over medium heat to make a basic syrup.
2. After the sugar is dissolved  and mixture is thoroughly heated remove from heat. (boil for about 10 mins then cool) makes 3 cups of syrup

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 Citrus sorbet...
Lemon Sorbet

serves 8: 1 small  scoop each  as it is strong as lemon  use a small cookie scoop is the best size.  If you do the modifications below will still serve 8 but normal ice-cream scoop size.

ingredients

• 1 basic syrup recipe  (next time I will double or triple  just this part so 2 or 3  basic syrup recipes this is for for the lime/ lemon/ limon  the others are fine with 1 basic recipe) as it  was just too much of a pucker power for my kids( but me and the husband liked it the way it was but since the kids eat most of it I will make it fit them better.
• 2 cups freshly squeezed Citrus Juice freshly squeezed (we used Lisbon lemons from my grandmother's tree) but any citrus: lemon, limon, lime, orange, tangarine... will work

• 3 teaspoons  Zest from the same fruit as you juiced (I used zest from the above mentioned lemons)

Prep

1. Add both the lemon juice and the  lemon zest to finished basic syrup recipe (1 batch)and chill.
2. After mixture is chilled add to ice-cream maker set speed to stir and pour in sorbet mixture. (about 15 mins in mixer)
3. Freeze for 2 hours before eating.

I could not find my zester so I just put the peels in the blender with the water for the syrup and hit puree  then I just cooked it as for the basic syrup recipe.  But this way is a much stronger flavor so if you want it more mild through it in with the juice not boil with syrup.   But either way will work my was an improvisation from necessity not how I would normally do it. 

The lemon is very tart strong pucker power so if you want it sweeter double or triple  the syrup recipe and do not boil zest.   I will do it that way next time and leave the rest the same.
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Basic fruit sorbet...

Strawberry Blueberry Sorbet  

serves 8: 1 scoop each


ingredients

• 1 basic syrup recipe
• 8 cups  fruit ( I used 4 cups blueberries and 4 cups strawberries since I am out of season I just used frozen berries that I mostly thawed untill soft enough to mash) but fresh would be better and pretty much any fruit can be used the juicier the fruit the better ie. berries, plums, nectarines and so on over such fruits as apples

prep

1. Chop strawberries into small pieces either by using a food processor or a blender (or smash by hand) until pureed
2. Strain juice into a bowl through wire sieve. This will help get rid of the seeds and some of the pulp skins from the blueberries  Chill.  I ended up with about 4 1/2 cups of puree in a glass measuring cup amazing how much it reduced I had about 1 1/2 cups pulp that  can use for jam or some other fruit items like smoothies and such. 
3. Add the mashed fruit mixture to 1 basic syrup recipe and chill.
4. After mixture is chilled add to Ice Cream Maker. Set speed to stir and pour in sorbet mixture. (about 15 - 20 mins in mixer)
5. Freeze for 2 hours before eating.

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both of these are nice to serve with a few fresh mint leaves as decoration and added flavor

Approximately 3 to 4 cups of fruit will make about 2 cups of sorbet.

Store sorbet in a separate freezer ready bowl in the freezer do not store  in the mixing bowl as scooping out of the mixing bowl can damage it.

Happy New Years

Hope your year was great and hoping that the new year will be even better.

Happy New Year

Happy Chinese / Japanese New Year

I do know a few of these items are Japanese; I just like them together.

Happy New Years

Before last year becomes a blur like this picture of my Christmas tree.

What are some of your fondest memories of the past year?

Hopefully you don't feel like this picture this morning, either!