Lime Sherbet and Lime Sorbet

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...The Silver Fox and one of our grandsons share a love of green desserts. The little one adores mint and pistachio, while his grandfather is inordinately fond of the tart lime variety. The last two weeks have been packed with fun and laughter and lots of good food, but for one reason or another a lime dessert never made it to the table. Things are beginning to quiet down now, and I thought this would be a good time to make a treat or two specifically for the Silver Fox. He requested a lime milk shake, but in order to make one I needed lime sherbet. What we have in our stores is not worthy of the name, so the first step in making the milk shake was to make lime sherbet. Sherbet is like a sorbet to which milk or cream is added. Both are really easy to make, especially if you have an ice cream freezer. I'm including recipes for both of them today and tomorrow I plan to feature the milk shake that Bob so enjoys. I use fresh key lime juice to make both these ices, but that is only because I can buy it at the Hispanic grocery I frequent. I have, by the way, been known to use commercially bottled juice, and while it works well in these recipes, I do find it has a slightly more metallic taste than the fresh juice. Lovers of the not so sweet usually love these ices. I think some of you might too. Here's how they are made.

Lime Sherbet ...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
3 teaspoons lime zest
3/4 cup lime juice
3 cups half and half
3/4 cup sugar

Directions:
1) Zest and juice limes.
2) Combine zest and juice with half and half, and sugar.
3) Pour mixture into ice cream maker and process according to manufacturer's directions.
4) When frozen thick, serve right away or transfer to plastic container and place in freezer until ready to serve. Yield: 6 to 8 servings.

Lime Sorbet...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
2 Cups sugar
2 Cups water
1-1/2 cups lime juice (about 12 limes)
1 tablespoon finely grated lime zest

Directions:
1) Mix water and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer without stirring until the sugar dissolves, about 3 to 5 minutes. Cool completely.
2) While simple syrup is cooking, begin squeezing lime juice. Strain juice to remove pulp. Add zest to juice. Refrigerate until simple syrup cools.
3) Combine juice and syrup in ice cream maker and process, using manufacturers directions, until frozen. This can take up to an hour. Transfer sorbet to an airtight container and freeze for at least 2 hours to harden. Yield: 6 to 8 servings.







One Year Ago Today: Rocks - Chunky Oatmeal Cookies with Walnuts and Cranberries








You might also enjoy these recipes:
Tropical Summer Sherbet in Orange Shells - The Daily Dish
Limoncello Mint Sorbet - Culinary Cory
Valencia Orange Sherbet- Cooking By the Seat of My Pants
Root Beer Sherbet - Big Red Kitchen
Blackberry Sherbet - Moogie and Pap


This post is being linked to:
Smiling Sally - Blue Monday

Marionberry Muffins - Blue Monday

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Each summer I freeze at least one flat of Marionberries to use during the winter months. Marionberries are a blackberry cultivar with a sweetness and complexity that has led the folks who grow and market them to dub them the "Cabernet of Blackberries." That may be an overreach, but I must tell you they do make delicious cobblers, scones and muffins and they are a wonderful addition to sauces for beef and lamb. Those of you who garden might want to know more about how the berry was developed and additional information can be found here. Marionberry muffins have become a part of our holiday celebrations and I made them for our breakfast yesterday morning. The muffins are delicious, easy to make and, while the recipe calls for Marionberries, any type of caneberry can be used to prepare them. There are no hints needed to make these successfully and the recipe is straightforward. Here's how the muffins are made.

Marionberry Muffins...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 large eggs
2 cups sour cream
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2-1/2 cups Marionberries (blackberries, raspberries or blueberries may be substituted)
Melted butter and sugar for topping

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease and flour muffin cups or line with paper liners. Set aside.
2) In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter, sugar and vanilla. Add eggs and beat until incorporated. Blend in sour cream and set aside.
3) In a separate mixing bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; fold into creamed mixture gently (DO NOT OVER MIX).
4) Fold in Marionberries and spoon batter into muffin pans, filling them 3/4 full.
5) Bake muffins 24 to 26 minutes. Test for doneness with a toothpick. Muffins are done when toothpick comes out clean.
6) Transfer to cooling racks and while still warm, dip muffin tops in melted butter and then into granulated sugar. Yield: 16 to 20 muffins.

You might also Enjoy these recipes:
Banana Crunch Muffins - What's Cookin Chicago?
Pumpkin Muffins with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting - Plain Chicken
Perfect Blueberry Muffins - The Sophisticated Gourmet
Cranberry Upside Down Muffins - Back to the Cutting Board
Lemon Cranberry Muffins - The Food Republik
Oatmeal Muffins with Raisins, Dates and Walnuts - Simply Recipes
Whole Orange Muffins - Food and Whine

This post is being linked to:
Smiling Sally - Blue Monday

"I See Skies of Blue...Clouds of White....

.....bright blessed days, dark sacred nights and I think to myself what a wonderful world." To see the world through the prism of a child is one of life's delights. Their joy in the discovery and mystery of the world is contagious and keeps the old among us young. We know that wonder must be tended if it's to last a lifetime. Sometimes it must be taught. Sometimes it must be shared. Several years ago I found myself stretched face-up in the sand of an Oregon beach holding hands with my grandsons as we searched an azure sky for phantom peaks hiding in the clouds above us - phantom peaks are cloud masses that resemble mountain ranges. It was a perfect day. We found K2 and Annapurna and watched the, sometimes amazing, aerial acrobatics of the raptors overhead. The boys have moved on to other things, but I know with certainty there will be another day when they scan the sky with children of their own, seeking the phantom peaks of their childhood.

I thought these pictures would be perfect for Blue Monday, so I'm sending them to Smiling Sally for her Blue Monday event.

Himalayan Poppies and Blue Monday at Smiling Sally's

There are things we know to be true, things we know can't be true, and things that conspire to confound us. Years ago, while rummaging through a thrift shop, I found and claimed a watercolor with a blossom so intensely blue I believed it existed only in imagination. I had never seen a blue poppy and, doubting Thomas that I am, it, ergo, could not exist. To keep me humble, the fates and furies made sure I found the fabled Himalayan poppy. It was tucked in a far corner of a greenhouse flaunting a flower so intensely blue it hurt the eyes. That, of course, led to some investigation and, as things happen around here, a voyage of discovery. While I lobbied for the Himalayas, my soulmate thought Butchart Gardens a more practical destination. So we headed North in search of more blue poppies. We found them and since that time we've grown them, some years with more success than others. Gardeners know her to be a fickle lady. I thought you might enjoy a peek at this fabled beauty, so I'm send this to Smiling Sally for her Blue Monday event. For the record, I'm still lobbying for the Himalayas.