Tag Archives: watermelon

WATERMELON SORBET

Posted in Desserts, Sweets by

A few weeks ago I inaugurated my Cuisinart ice cream maker by making chocolate sorbet. Not my best performance, the texture was off, a bit grainy. I guess I didn’t melt the chocolate well enough before chilling the base.  I must try another recipe, as it is Phil’s favorite flavor, but in the meantime I picked his second favorite flavor and went to work. Watermelon sorbet was a lot more forgiving, refreshing and light, perhaps a tad too sweet. Next time I’ll up the lemon juice and reduce the sugar slightly.

WATERMELON SORBET
(from Culinary Philosopher)

1 + 1/4 cup sugar
1+ 1/4 cup water
1 quart cubed watermelon (seedless)
4 Tbs fresh lemon juice

In a medium saucepan, bring the sugar and water to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer  without stirring until the sugar is completely dissolved.. Place in a bowl to cool to room temperature.

Put the watermelon chunks and the lime into a blender or food processor. Pulse about 20 times to chop the melon, then process until the watermelon is completely pureed. Press the watermelon through a mesh strainer,  and combine with the cooled sugar syrup. Chill in the refrigerator for at least one hour.

Pour the mixture into the frozen bowl of your ice cream maker and mix it for 25 to 30 minutes, or according to the instructions on your machine.  The sorbet will have soft serve texture. You can enjoy right away or put the sorbet into an airtight container and place in the freezer until firm for about 2 hours to firm it up.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments:  I am in love with our Cuisinart ice cream maker!  The watermelon mixture seemed VERY liquid to start with,  I wasn’t sure it would ever turn into a sorbet, but the machine kept churning, the crystals started forming, and in a little less than 30 minutes I had a delightful batch of watermelon goodness!  A little liquid stayed at the bottom of the machine, I am not sure if one should open it midway through the churning and scrape the bottom, but it did not compromise the results.

Watermelon is by nature very sweet, so next time I’ll  use 3/4 of the amount of sugar, perhaps even half, and see how it goes.

If you are over the fence about getting an ice cream maker, don’t debate with yourself for 3 years as I did.  Get one while Summer is still smiling at you!  😉

ONE YEAR AGO: Under the Spell of Lemongrass

TWO YEARS AGO: Greens + Grapefruit + Shrimp = Great Salad

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SUMMER’S FINALE

Posted in Desserts, Sweets by

My favorite season is over.  Soon it will be time for “the move”:  summer clothes will go into storage, while long sleeves, sweaters and coats will return to my closet.   My sandals will be gone, and with them the nice tan on my feet… The poor babies will be hiding in socks and shoes for months!

To say goodbye to Summer, I picked a yellow watermelon and turned it into granita. Watermelon is my beloved’s favorite fruit.  His ritual is to sit on the couch with a huge slice dangerously balancing on a plate, and our dogs locked into full begging mode close by. The dogs are watermelon maniacs;  they can smell it from several rooms away.

Granita is a refreshing classic, conveying the essence of Summer’s bliss with each spoonful.

granita

WATERMELON GRANITA

Make a simple syrup
1 cup water
1/2 cup granulated sugar
Heat until sugar is completely dissolved; cool to room temperature.

Make the fruit juice
Watermelon pieces
1 T lemon juice
pinch of salt

Juice the watermelon (easier if using seedless fruit, but we prefer to buy the regular kind).   Measure the amount, you will need a minimum of 3 cups.

For three cups of juice, add the full amount of simple syrup made, the lemon juice and salt.  Mix well.

Make the granita:
Pour the mixture in a glass baking dish, 9×13 inches, or 8×8 inches.  Depending on how thick the layer is, the longer it will take to freeze.  Place it in the freezer, and every half an hour (or 45 minutes, depending on the size and shape of your dish), scrape it with a fork to destroy the ice crystals forming on the edges, then place it back in the freezer.  Do this several times, maybe 4 or 5 times,  until the mixture is completely frozen. It will  take from 3 to 6 hours.

To serve, scrape the frozen granita with the tines of a fork into a serving bowl. Decorate with mint (which you can also add to the juice, I normally do that, but forgot this time), and….

ENJOY!

To print the recipe, click here.

click for more photos e receita em portugues