06.14.09 Chocolate sorbet

You may have noticed a lack of dinner postings lately - clearly my sweet tooth has dominated during my pregnancy. And now that Sally is here, we'll be eating a lot of take-out and simple meals, so here's yet another ice cream recipe from The Perfect Scoop. This chocolate sorbet is to-die-for! Rich and chocolaty, it's waaaaaaaaaay better than any chocolate ice cream I've ever had. I have no doubt this will be a staple in our freezer.

CHOCOLATE SORBET
Makes 1 quart

2 1/4 cups water
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
Pinch of salt
6 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped (I used semi)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a large saucepan, whisk together 1 1/2 cups of the water with the sugar, cocoa powder, and salt. Bring to a boil, whisking frequently. Let it boil, continuing to whisk, for 45 seconds.

Remove from the heat and stir in the chocolate until it’s melted, then stir in the vanilla extract and the remaining 3/4 cup water. Transfer the mixture to a blender and blend for 15 seconds. Chill the mixture thoroughly, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. (If the mixture has become too thick to pour into your machine, whisk it vigorously to thin it out).

06.06.09 Banana-blueberry sorbet

I've discovered a fantastic new cookbook to help feed my homemade ice cream addiction - it's called The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz. You'll be seeing lots of his recipes on the blog in the coming months. First up was the banana-blueberry sorbet. It is fruity, refreshing, and simple - basically fruit, water and sugar, so much healthier than the creamy stuff. But don't worry, the next recipe I want to try from the book is chocolate peanut butter ice cream, which is certainly NOT figure friendly.

Makes about 1 quart

1 medium-sized ripe banana, peeled
2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen (I used fresh)
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

Cut the banana into chunks and puree in a blender or food processor with the blueberries, water, sugar and lime juice until smooth. Chill the mixture thoroughly, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.