Fresh and Fruity . . . Quick Sour Cream Sherbet

This is a revamped recipe from an old vintage cookbook in my collection that was geared towards men cooking. It’s simplicity is what attracted me to it and well, if you want to tie that in to the fact the cookbook was geared towards men, that’s up to you.

Now, there are quite a few recipes floating around on the internet for sour cream ice cream. These are made with an ice cream maker and like traditional homemade ice cream, they’re made with heavy cream and sometimes eggs.

That’s not this frozen concoction. It’s icy while at the same time being creamy and fruity. And you don’t need an ice cream maker. This sherbet softly melts on your tongue and isn’t as bad for you, especially if you use an all-natural, low-fat sour cream.

For your fruit selection, you need a soft fruit that can macerate and breakdown in sugar and extract/liqueur. This means you’ll need something like berries, peaches or nectarines.

For the recipe, click here.



-GE, 5/21/08

Funny names, great kitchenware

I suppose I’m probably too old for IKEA. It’s probably presumed by the time you reach your mid-thirties that you’re finally old enough to buy furniture that is not only pre-assembled, but even comes delivered to your door while you don’t break a sweat or have to break a nail on some sort of odd little hex key/allen wrench thingy.

A few years ago I discovered IKEA’s kitchenware department. Something the little culinary snob in me had previously wafted breezily through in that maze they have that finally leads to a checkout lane. As I was looking for quality items I could stock my portable demonstration kitchen with, the quality and prices of IKEA’s stainless steel stockpots, roasting pans and even knives caught my attention.

What was supposed to be cookware I could keep packed away for demonstrations and not care if they get banged around a bit, have now become my go-to staples in the kitchen. I cannot remember the last time I pulled out my $125 stainless steel roasting pan with rack when IKEA’s Koncis 16 by 13 inch roasting pan (also with grill rack), costs only $17.99. In addition, they have two smaller sizes, an 8 by 10 inch and a 13 by 9 inch that are excellent for roasting side dishes and smaller roasts. The design includes a recessed area around the outside of the interior that collects roasting juices and the mirrored stainless interior is always easy to clean – especially in the dishwasher. Plus, you can make your sauce directly in the pan as it will easily fit on your cook top.

After recently attending the International Home and Housewares Show, it’s quickly obvious that the selection of cookware available in the marketplace is overwhelming. One of the signs of quality cookware is a thick, layered base, and in IKEA’s 365+ line of stock pots, sauté pans and a great saucier, you’ll find a three-layer base of stainless steel with an interior layer of even heat conducting aluminum that will prevent your food from becoming a burnt-on crust on the bottom of the pan. I’ve used my IKEA pots on a variety of cook tops, including gas, electric, induction and solid cast-iron and have been pleased by the heating results on each.

Other great features of the 365+ line can be found in their design. Since they are all stainless steel, you can go from cook top to oven to take advantage of direct and indirect heat. The exterior has a brushed finish (easier to clean and not have fingerprints) and the interior is polished with English and metric measurements lightly printed on the side of the stockpots which makes for easy measuring when making rice, pasta, etc.

The stockpots come in 3 quart, 5 quart and 11 quart sizes and the saucier (sauce pan) is approximately 2.5 quarts. Both have interiors that are slightly rounded at the bottom and sides – this makes for easy stirring of sauces, candies, polenta, etc. and also easy to beat items like mashed potatoes or fudge. And for $17.99, the IKEA saucier is a good deal compared to an All-Clad, 2 quart saucier that retails for more than $100.

One of the best finds IKEA’s kitchenware department offers is their Skärpt knife range with prices ranging from $7.99 to $24.99. There are 10 different knives available including two sizes of chef’s knives, a ceramic sharpening steel, a cleaver, fillet knife and one my favorites, the meat slicer which is the most expensive of the Skärpt knife range yet much more reasonable than other meat slicers that sell for upwards of $70 to $100.

The Skärpt knives feature blades that are made of stainless molybdenum/vanadium-steel and have a tang the runs through the complete length of the handle making for a firm cutting action and a long-lasting knife. One of the best features however is the design of the bolster and heel area – where the blade meets the handle – as it is softened and tapered allowing for a firm grip, while reducing stress on the joint of your index finger and lessening the formation of calluses.

Of course IKEA excels at offering a variety of little goods that fill your cart so innocently and can cause sticker shock upon checkout. If you’re looking for a couple of inexpensive, but well made, kitchen filler items check out their Magnifik magnetic, silicone trivets and their Tekla dish towels. The trivets are great to use with the saucier and stock pots when taking them from cook top to counter and the towels, at only 49 cents each, are 100 percent cotton, dry well and are of course, made from a renewable resource. We’ve even used them for napkins and as liners in gift baskets during the holidays.

So even if you’re old enough to have furniture that does come preassembled, you might still want to check out an IKEA the next time your near one of their big, blue cubes, (especially if you’re a cookware whore like myself) because you might just find a good deal.


- GE, 3/26/08

Açaí, Agave and Goji, Oh My

Add mangosteens to that list and you’ll be up-to-date on the trendy flavors you’ll see strutting their stuff down your grocer’s aisles just like hot models show us what’s in this season.

On a recent scavenger hunt to one of the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade’s Fancy Food Shows (a tradeshow emporium representing producers of specialty food items from around the globe) it was obvious that many food manufacturers are hoping these new, or should we say recently rediscovered, plants will be as hot as the masses of pomegranate items we’ve seen burst onto the seen the last three years.

So, to get you up to speed, here’s a brief primer on these little goodies:

Açaí berries are the tropical rainforest version of a blueberry although not in the same species, of course. Take a quick climb up a palm tree somewhere in the Amazon and you’ll find strands of açaí (ah-sigh-ee) berries, from the açaí palm, swinging in the breeze. Botanically speaking, the fruit is a drupe (other popular drupes include coffee, mangoes, olives, coconuts, pistachios, almonds, apricots, nectarines, peaches and plums.)

Deep purple, açaí berries have a bright berry flavor with almost a hint of chocolate or mocha in the background. They’re highly perishable so most of the berries are frozen or dried and in most recent incarnations, made into a bottled juice. Açaí berries are slightly oily to the touch like olives as both have a high fatty acid content.

So why are açaí berries becoming the ‘in-fruit’ now? Nutritional analysis indicates that a serving contains a higher antioxidant count than blueberries and pomegranates along with a high content of b-vitamins. Look for juices and juice blends while perusing the grocers or specialty food stores. Even legendary beer producer Anheuser Busch has jumped onto the açaí bandwagon with 180 Blue, an energy drink.

Since tequila has become the new scotch, something has to be done with the plethora of agave (uh-gah-vay) plants that are taking over the hillsides of Mexico. So, enter agave ketchup, agave syrup, agave juice drinks and the list goes on.

Agave comes from the piña, or core of the plant as its nectar is pressed then heated. The result is agave syrup that is sweeter and thinner than most honey. Since it has a low glycemic index than other natural sweeteners (and some feel it is sweeter than sugar), it’s becoming more popular in prepared foods especially organic products. Standard substitution ratios for using agave instead of sugar recommend using 25 percent less of the nectar than sugar – i.e. ¾ cup of agave nectar should equal 1-cup sugar.

Goji (go-gee) berries look like some sort of raisin gone wrong. That’s because they’re typically found dry for snacking or baking and added to trail mixes (there were a lot of people in dreadlocks hawking these things). In Asian cuisine, goji berries are added to rice porridge and teas. They’re a deep peach color with an opacity not found in raisins. Goji berries are not a sweet dried fruit as they sort of taste like a flowery child of a cranberry that got its groove on with a tomato.

Primarily grown in China (do we need to test them for lead, too?), goji berries are part of the same botanical family that includes potatoes, tomatoes, eggplants and chilies. The Chinese have long believed that goji berries are good for many health ailments including boosting our immune systems.

Growing on vines, the berries look like little oval tomatoes and since they have soft skins when ripe, the harvesting process is tedious. Once picked, they’re air dried – although with increase interest mechanical drying has been employed recently. They’re peak season for harvesting is August.

Like the designer handbag that everyone wants and yet no one has gotten their well-manicure hands-upon, mangosteens are receiving all of the fruit hype. Like little albino orange slices hidden inside a dye-rich hard shell, trying to enjoy a fresh mangosteen is like shoplifting a designer dress and ruining it when you took pliers to the ink sensor. They’re floral like lemon grass, creamy and have a hint of peach.

Just within the past few months have legal mangosteens made their little hard-shelled trip to upscale farmers markets and restaurants in New York City because there is a ban on importing mangosteens (because of bugs) from the countries that have the highest yields. Countries like Puerto Rico and other Caribbean cousins can grow mangosteens because they have the necessary high humidity but there have been few producers because the little fruit needs a lot of coddling. Hawaii also grows mangosteens but they too are often banned from the continental states and go on to enjoy their edible demise in Japan and the East.

Selling for anywhere from $15 to $45 per pound in New York, many restaurateurs have sought out mangosteen farmers to grow crops specifically for their use offering their diners a simple, yet much sought after delight.

So, the designer mangosteen will probably not be making it to our local TJ Maxx or Filene’s Basement anytime soon. In the meantime, don’t go for that cheap knockoff on the corner – the frozen and thawed mangosteen. It’s not worth it. It’ll draw you in just like a faux Chanel buckle, but it’ll treat you bad once you crack it open. Instead, opt for mangosteen juice (or most likely a juice blend) and sit back and take a cool sip. Oh, and start saving for a trip to the tropics.