Cooking
I think summer arrived yesterday. We had a blazing hot and humid day - as is typical of DC summers - capped by a dramatic thunderstorm in the evening. Thanks to Dining with the Bloggers (and more specifically, Reid), I had the perfect summer evening treat waiting in my fridge for a quick spin in the ice cream maker.
The theme this week is "snacks" and originally I was thinking in terms of a salty snack or an appetizer, but I've already talked about those great roasted chickpeas, and I was having trouble finding an appetizer that appealed to me. I don't know why I had initially excluded sweets when thinking of possible snacks, but the fact is a goodly part of the many snacks I've eaten over the years have been sweet. And I can't count how many times I've dipped into a carton of ice cream or other frozen confection for a little relief from the summer heat!
When I came across Reid's recipe for Kumquat sorbet I recalled that I had just seen some little packs of kumquats at Whole Foods. When I saw them I had done a brief double take, thinking "hmm, those are interesting, wonder what you do with them?", but moving on pretty quickly. When I found Reid's recipe I was glad for an opportunity to try kumquats and luckily they still had some at the store.
Making the sorbet was very simple - the kumquats are cooked briefly in a sugar syrup, pureed together with the syrup, and frozen in an ice cream maker. Either lemon or orange juice is added to the mix before freezing. The sorbet is sweet, tart and delicious! It froze beautifully, too. I had some more tonight and unlike the ice cream I've made (which has always been just part cream), it is still very scoopable even after a whole day in the freezer. I think it would be great served with chocolate cake or even chocolate ice cream. I have more kumquats, so I'm planning to make some more sorbet, but next time I'll try the orange juice rather than the lemon juice. The kumquats together with the lemon juice are quite a puckery combination and I'm thinking the orange juice might moderate the tartness just a bit. Be it with lemon juice or orange juice, I'll be making this sorbet again and again. Thanks Reid for a great recipe!!
With summer here, I'm anxious to spend some time visiting the farmers' market and looking to it for inspiration. I hope to dream up a few creations of my own, too. Dining with the Bloggers will be taking a vacation until September, but it'll be back!
If you haven't already, go see what Zarah is serving up for a snack and wish her luck on her exam while you're at it. Have a great summer everyone!
- Volcano Lemon & Lime Bursts
When I was growing up we always had a big green bottle of lemon juice in the fridge. It was from concentrate and tasted of chemicals. Nasty stuff. Fortunately my in-laws have a lemon tree and give me boxes of fresh lemons. But limes are another story......
- All About Kumquats
Meet the latest object of my affection. Cute aren't they? But wait until you bite into them! They bite right back. If you like the tang of lemons and limes and sometimes find the sweetness of oranges a little cloying you're going to love kumquats....
- Dining With The Bloggers - November 16th
Another busy week and another hasty entry for Dining with the Bloggers... I'm so sorry!! I'm especially sorry because this week I am Dining with Niki at Esurientes - The Comfort Zone, and there are so many tempting options that I must forgo for...
- Prune Blogging Thursday - Prune Bread
Yes, that's right - didn't you see the announcement? I couldn't resist participating (even if I am a little late)... such an unfairly maligned little fruit. This one time event was proposed by David Lebovitz and believe it or not, he's...
- Dining With The Bloggers - June 1st
This week's Dining with the Bloggers theme is "Healthy/Lowfat/Light". Just in time too...I just got back from two weeks in Sicily, remember? It's easy to find all sorts of tempting recipes on food blogs, but it starts to get a little more difficult...
Cooking
Dining with the Bloggers - June 8th
I think summer arrived yesterday. We had a blazing hot and humid day - as is typical of DC summers - capped by a dramatic thunderstorm in the evening. Thanks to Dining with the Bloggers (and more specifically, Reid), I had the perfect summer evening treat waiting in my fridge for a quick spin in the ice cream maker.
The theme this week is "snacks" and originally I was thinking in terms of a salty snack or an appetizer, but I've already talked about those great roasted chickpeas, and I was having trouble finding an appetizer that appealed to me. I don't know why I had initially excluded sweets when thinking of possible snacks, but the fact is a goodly part of the many snacks I've eaten over the years have been sweet. And I can't count how many times I've dipped into a carton of ice cream or other frozen confection for a little relief from the summer heat!
When I came across Reid's recipe for Kumquat sorbet I recalled that I had just seen some little packs of kumquats at Whole Foods. When I saw them I had done a brief double take, thinking "hmm, those are interesting, wonder what you do with them?", but moving on pretty quickly. When I found Reid's recipe I was glad for an opportunity to try kumquats and luckily they still had some at the store.
Making the sorbet was very simple - the kumquats are cooked briefly in a sugar syrup, pureed together with the syrup, and frozen in an ice cream maker. Either lemon or orange juice is added to the mix before freezing. The sorbet is sweet, tart and delicious! It froze beautifully, too. I had some more tonight and unlike the ice cream I've made (which has always been just part cream), it is still very scoopable even after a whole day in the freezer. I think it would be great served with chocolate cake or even chocolate ice cream. I have more kumquats, so I'm planning to make some more sorbet, but next time I'll try the orange juice rather than the lemon juice. The kumquats together with the lemon juice are quite a puckery combination and I'm thinking the orange juice might moderate the tartness just a bit. Be it with lemon juice or orange juice, I'll be making this sorbet again and again. Thanks Reid for a great recipe!!
With summer here, I'm anxious to spend some time visiting the farmers' market and looking to it for inspiration. I hope to dream up a few creations of my own, too. Dining with the Bloggers will be taking a vacation until September, but it'll be back!
If you haven't already, go see what Zarah is serving up for a snack and wish her luck on her exam while you're at it. Have a great summer everyone!
- Volcano Lemon & Lime Bursts
When I was growing up we always had a big green bottle of lemon juice in the fridge. It was from concentrate and tasted of chemicals. Nasty stuff. Fortunately my in-laws have a lemon tree and give me boxes of fresh lemons. But limes are another story......
- All About Kumquats
Meet the latest object of my affection. Cute aren't they? But wait until you bite into them! They bite right back. If you like the tang of lemons and limes and sometimes find the sweetness of oranges a little cloying you're going to love kumquats....
- Dining With The Bloggers - November 16th
Another busy week and another hasty entry for Dining with the Bloggers... I'm so sorry!! I'm especially sorry because this week I am Dining with Niki at Esurientes - The Comfort Zone, and there are so many tempting options that I must forgo for...
- Prune Blogging Thursday - Prune Bread
Yes, that's right - didn't you see the announcement? I couldn't resist participating (even if I am a little late)... such an unfairly maligned little fruit. This one time event was proposed by David Lebovitz and believe it or not, he's...
- Dining With The Bloggers - June 1st
This week's Dining with the Bloggers theme is "Healthy/Lowfat/Light". Just in time too...I just got back from two weeks in Sicily, remember? It's easy to find all sorts of tempting recipes on food blogs, but it starts to get a little more difficult...