Coconut Sorbet

When I was working at the hotel, my coworker told me a great recipe for coconut sorbet. One can of cream of coconut and a can of water. I went on a search for the cream of coconut but couldn't ever find it at any grocery store I went to. Over the past few months I ended up trying several different coconut products to create the sorbet, but it wasn't turning out quite right.

However, this weekend I went to the grocery store to buy ingredients for the meal for the brothers in my fellowship (for brothers appreciation night #brolympicgames #ban14). As I was searching for grenadine (for "torch" drinks- made with grenadine, orange juice, tonic water), I finally found the cream of coconut. I tried the recipe and it is the most simple sorbet I've ever made. Not to mention, it's delicious!

Coconut Sorbet

1-15 oz can Cream of Coconut

15 oz Water

Flake Coconut

Lime Juice

1. Prepare ice cream machine according to manufacturer's directions. 

2. In a bowl, whisk cream of coconut and water together. 

3. Pour the mixture into the ice cream machine and churn according to manufacturer's directions until thickened. You may need to scrape the bowl of the machine so that more ice crystals form. 

4. Once the sorbet is frozen, pour into an airtight plastic container and allow to harden in the freezer for at least 3 hours. 

5. Toast flake coconut until slightly golden. You can do this in the oven at 350 degrees F or in a toaster oven. You only need a small amount for topping. 

6. Once the sorbet is hardened, scoop into a bowl, top with lime juice and toasted coconut, and enjoy! 

The sorbet has a very strong coconut flavor that pairs perfectly with the lime. The sorbet is extremely smooth, not at all icy and is perfect for anyone with lactose intolerance! For all you coconut lovers, enjoy this recipe and share with your friends :) 

FYI- cream of coconut is not in the international foods aisle with coconut milk- it's in the aisle with the alcohol mixers.

Citrus Sage Frozen Yogurt

Every so often, I fail. It sounds sad, but isn't that the case with everyone? There's always an "off" day, and it's hard to look past the flaws. The other day, I was making some citrus sage macarons to take to my relatives when I visit California over the holidays. I was having an off day... I overmixed the shells (which made them flat and made them run into each other), I made the filling too soft, and I made a huge mess in the kitchen. Although they tasted good, I couldn't post them on the blog because others should be able to recreate it (without a gigantic mess). I had to find a better solution to use the curd filling I had made than to throw it away. Add some yogurt, milk, and the result is delicious!

Citrus Sage Frozen Yogurt (Makes about a quart)
5 Egg Yolks
1 Egg
1/2 cup Sugar
1/4 cup Lemon Juice
1 tbsp Lime Juice
1 Orange (Zest and Juice)
1 bunch Fresh Sage (8 Leaves), chopped
2 tbsp Butter
12 oz White Chocolate
2 cup Milk
1 cup Greek Yogurt

1. Place your ice cream machine base into the freezer for at least 24 hours, or according to the manufacturer's directions.
2. In a metal, glass, or ceramic bowl, mix eggs, sugar, juices, orange zest and juice, and chopped sage.
3. Place the bowl over a pot with water on low heat. The steam will cook the eggs without curdling them.
4. Whisk until it thickens and becomes a curd. It looks like a custard at this point.
5. Remove from heat and add butter and chocolate.
6. Mix with a rubber spatula until the chocolate is completely melted.
7. Allow to cool to room temperature. Then, add yogurt and mix until incorporated.
8. Then, add milk gradually so that there is no separation.
9. Place in the fridge to chill for a few hours, until it is cold.
10. Churn the yogurt according to the manufacturer's directions. Stop churning when the yogurt looks like soft-serve.
11. Move into an airtight container and allow to harden for a few hours, until firm.
12. The frozen yogurt is ready to serve when it is firm!

If the yogurt is not freezing well as you churn it, you can hold it in the freezer for a few hours in the machine base to kickstart the process. Then, finish churning it. 

So there's one of my many failure stories. Sometimes you can take failures and turn them around to create something great. Everyone will have off days; everyone will fail, but it's the attitude and the perspective you take on when those failures occur. You just have to keep your head up and make it work!

Green Tea Ice Cream

Green tea ice cream is probably my all time favorite dessert. I love the balance of sweet, bitter, and depth. I love that it's not overpowering overly sweet. I made it a goal to make green tea ice cream at some point, but I hadn't been able to until recently. It takes a little time and a bit of extra preparation, but it is well worth the work. It is often difficult to find a really good green tea ice cream, especially in Providence, RI, where I am going to school. I figured my best bet for a good green tea ice cream would be if I made it myself and flavored it according to my preferences and tastes. It was so exciting to make one of my favorite flavors, that I had to share with everyone who follows the blog. So take a look and see how to recreate this delicious ice cream!

Green Tea Ice Cream (makes about 1 pint)
4 oz Egg Yolks
4 oz Sugar
8 oz Milk
8 oz Heavy Cream
1 tsp Matcha Powder

1. Prepare your ice cream machine as the instructions direct (for mine, i have to put the vessel for the mix into the freezer overnight).
2. In a medium sized bowl, make a paste with your matcha powder by adding about a tablespoon of water.
3. Heat your milk, cream, and half of your sugar in a pot over medium-high heat.
4. In a large bowl, mix the egg yolks and remaining sugar together.
5. When your milk and cream boils, turn off heat, and pour about a third into the matcha paste and incorporate. Try to mix out any lumps.
6. Pour the matcha mixture back into the pot.
7. Pour the hot milk mixture into the yolks, whisking as you gradually pour.
8. Pour the egg mixture back into the pot and heat on low-medium heat while mixing until it thickens slightly. For this sized batch, it will thicken very quickly! Be careful not to overcook because the egg yolk will curdle leaving a eggy flavor and a grainy mouthfeel.
9. Turn off the heat when the mixture sticks to the back of the spoon. You can check this by running your finger along the back of the spoon. A line where your finger passes should hold shape.
10. Pour the mixture through a fine strainer into a bowl over an ice-water bath. To make an ice-water bath, fill a bowl with ice and a little bit of water, then put a smaller bowl over the ice.
11. When cooled completely, pour into your ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer's instructions to churn.
12. Place into the freezer for at least a few hours to harden before serving.
13. Scoop into the desired bowl (freeze the bowl to keep the ice cream frozen!), sprinkle with matcha powder and serve.

Even though the summer season is ending, keep expecting more ice cream posts! You can have ice cream in any season! ;)  Comment with any ice cream/sorbet flavor suggestions!

Southern Peach Tea Granita

Georgia summers are hot, humid, and sometimes unforgiving. During a hot, summer day all I want is something cold and refreshing. A peach tea granita does just the trick! It's made with southern style sweet tea and fresh, local peaches. This is a simple, elegant, and refreshing dessert that would be a hit at any party! But eat it before it melts!

I love to include tea in my cooking, especially because it's not seen very often in desserts. It adds a slight bitterness that brings perfect harmony to a sweet treat! Here in the South, sweet tea is a staple, to say the least. I wanted to introduce this blog with something local, natural, and "me"- and this frozen dessert seemed to do just the trick!

Here's how to recreate this frozen treat at home: 4 Servings

Granita:
1 cup Water
1/2 cup Sugar
2 Tea Bags 
1 Fresh Peach
1 cups Cold Water
Strainer
Freeze-Safe Container
Fork

1. Bring the water and sugar to a boil. Remove from heat.
2. Add peach slices to the hot liquid. Reserve a few slices to finely dice and put into the granita.
3. Steep your tea in the liquid for 10 minutes.
4. Strain into the freeze-safe container and add the cold water. Add diced peach pieces and stir.
5. Freeze. Run your fork a few times through the mixture every 20 minutes until completely frozen and icy. This will prevent the mixture from becoming a solid block to maintain a light texture.
6. When frozen, spoon into a cold glass and serve with peach chips or peach slices.

Peach Chips:
1 Peach
Confectioner's Sugar 

1. Thinly slice peaches to about 1/8 inch.
2. Place peaches onto a sheet pan with a silicone baking mat.
3. Use a strainer to dust powdered sugar over the top of the peach slices
4. Bake at 200 degrees F until dry. Check if they are done by removing one from the pan and letting it cool. Try to break it (or just taste it). If it is crispy, it is done.
5. Remove from pan and shape as desired. If they are difficult to shape, put it back into the oven and let it warm up. If you do not want to shape them, just remove once cool. You may need a spatula if it sticks to the pan.

For a sweet-and-savory twist, pair with some hot-skillet corn bread and peach butter! Enjoy! :)