Chill Out

 

 

Need something cool and refreshing (whether it is cold or hot outside?). Try these! One option for summer, one for winter.

Raspberry Buttermilk Sherbet

Ingredients:

6 cups raspberries (4 to 5 pints)
1/4 cup 100% grape or apple juice
1 cup superfine sugar
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup heavy cream
Salt and freshly cracked pepper (optional)

Directions:

Puree the raspberries, juice, and sugar in a food processor until smooth. Pour through a mesh strainer into a bowl and discard the raspberry seeds. Stir in the buttermilk, cream, and a pinch of salt, then cover and refrigerate until cold, about 1 hour.

Transfer the mixture to an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions. Transfer to an airtight container and freeze until firm, at least 2 hours. Serve sprinkled with pepper, if desired.

Source: Food Network website, recipe courtesy of Food Network Magazine. You can find the recipe here.

Notes: We skipped the pepper. People were divided on this. Some people thought it was too tart. However, the people who enjoyed the tartness (I would be one of those people) thought this recipe was awesome. The fresh raspberry taste was to die for and the texture was so smooth.

I should have let it soften just a little more before serving it though. The pictures make it look more like a granita. Oh well. It was awesome anyway! When I served some another day, I let it soften more and it scooped beautifully and smoothly...I just didn't take any pictures that day.

Snow Ice Cream

Ingredients:

Freshly fallen snow
Milk, to taste
Sugar, to taste
Flavoring of choice, to taste (vanilla extract, almond extract, other favorite extract flavors, Italian Soda Syrup flavor of choice, etc.)

Directions:

Mix snow, milk, sugar, and desired flavoring together until you reach your desired consistency and taste. Use less snow if you want more of a shake-like consistency. Use more snow if you want a thicker ice cream. It's as easy as that!

Source: My grandma used to make this for my Mom and her sisters when they were kids. Then, my mom made it for us when we were kids.

Notes: You know, snow ice cream is one of the best things about winter. It brings back so many childhood memories for me. It just tastes soooooo good. The basic way to make it is to use vanilla extract for a classic vanilla snow ice cream. But I've used Italian soda syrups as well and those were super tasty too. So, get creative and have fun. If you're craving snow ice cream during the summer, you can satisfy your craving if you own an ice shaver or ice shaving machine. You can also make a snow slushy/snow cone and skip the milk altogether. You can mix the snow with Italian soda syrup, snow cone syrup, or soda pop until you find a consistency you like. I tried this with some sugar-free raspberry Italian soda syrup and it was really yummy--and a lot lighter on the calories too!

We got our first snow storm of the season on Friday. Luckily for me, it melted that afternoon. However, there was enough for a batch of snow ice cream. Next time it snows, I will make real snow cones and post a picture of that. 

I had previously posted this recipe for snow ice cream a few years ago. However, it was a random addition to a blog post about gazpacho, so I thought it fit better here. You can find the original post here.

 

Above: This made enough for 3-4 servings. I probably used a little over a cup of milk and between 1/4 and 1/2 cup of sugar with 1 teaspoon of vanilla.

 

Above: It takes awhile to mix everything together, but it is so worth it!

 

Above: Eat it fast, because it melts quickly! Basically, this doesn't really work in an ice cream cone--eat it in a bowl or as a shake depending on the thickness/consistency of your ice cream.