Mixed Berry Sorbet

Berries were on sale this week so my fridge was overflowing with them. What better way to try out my new ice cream machine (my old one conked out last week) than to put those berries to good use in a refreshing sorbet. I used blackberries, raspberries and strawberries as that's what I had, but you could use one type of berry or mix what you like.

Berry Sorbet

5 cups berries

2 cups water

1 cup sugar

juice of one lemon

Make a simple syrup with the water and sugar by heating it to a boil and simmering for 5 to 8 minutes stirring occasionally till thickened. Remove from heat and let cool, stir in the lemon juice then chill in refrigerator until cold. Purée half the berries and half the cooled syrup in a blender. Pass through a sieve to remove the seeds and solids. Repeat with the remaining berries and syrup. Freeze in an ice cream maker following the manufacturer's directions or alternately, freeze in ice cube trays and purée in food processor or blender after frozen. Makes about 1 1/2 quarts.

The new machine I bought is the Cuisinart 2-quart Pure Indulgence. A couple steps up from my last machine, it made a nice smooth sorbet in 30 minutes. I needed to pop it in the freezer for further firming.

Focaccia Rolls on the Grill

It's summer, it's grilling season, why heat up the house. I put the pizza stone on the gas grill and cooked these outdoors. They pick up a bit of smoky flavour too. It's easy to make the dough in the food processor, but you can pick some up at the grocery store or a local pizza place.


Here's the basic dough recipe ~

• 3 cups flour
• 1 cup warm water
• 1 package dry yeast
  
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons olive oil - divided
  
• 1 bunch fresh herbs of your choice
• cornmeal for dusting baking stone
  

Add the sugar and yeast to the warm water and stir. Let sit for 5 minutes. Put the flour in the bowl of a food processor and add the salt and 3 tablespoons of the herbs, chopped. Add 3 tablespoons of the oil to the water. With the processor running, slowly add the water mixture to the flour. When it forms a ball, let the processor run for 1 minute. Place the dough in an oiled bowl, turn to coat. Cover with plastic wrap or a towel and lest rest for 1 hour. Punch down dough and divide into eight equal balls. Fatten to 3 1/2 in discs, brush with olive oil and sprinkle on some fresh herbs. Sprinkle some cornmeal on a platter or sheet pan. Place the rolls on the pan, and let sit while the grill heats. Put a pizza stone on the grill as it heats up with all burners on high. Once heated, turn burners to *medium. Sprinkle the stone with more cornmeal and transfer the rolls to the stone. Put the lid down and cook for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden.

Cooks Note: The grill has hot spots, I moved the rolls around halfway through. After about 12 minutes, mine weren't quite brown enough, so I checked the bottoms to make sure they weren't scorched and left them in till they were golden.

I've also baked these in the oven on a pizza stone, 450ºF for about the same time.

*Grills vary... I have one with a thermometer, and with all burners on medium, it stayed at a pretty consistant 475ºF.

Food on TV

Actually, I think PBS was the first food network.  Years ago I thought it a real luxury to spend an hour or two on the weekends watching a few of the cooking programs they broadcast.  Of course, there was Julia, both her original show and her later ones with master chefs. Jacques Pepin, Natalie Dupree, Marianne Esposito, Jeff Smith/The Frugal Gourmet, Graham Kerr/The Galloping Gourmet are among some of the others I remember. A commonality these shows had was that they'd share a little more about the dish than just the ingredients that went into it.  They'd tell heart felt stories of the region the dish was from and the ingredients available in that area, or reminisce about making it with their mothers and grandmothers when they were very young. It seems these are a little of what makes a food show host successful as they were key points they drilled into participants of  The Next Food Network Star, share a little about yourself as well as the food. Congratulations to Aaron McCargo Jr. (I picked him early on as the winner). I toast to you with this cocktail from The Neelys, though I made one change. I used white rum instead of vodka, and think it has a really nice flavour.

Frozen Ginger Lemon Drops

adapted from The Neelys recipe

makes 4

• 1 cup ginger/mint simple syrup, recipe follows
• 1 cup white rum
• 1 cup fresh lemon juice
• 4 cups ice
• Lemon wedges and/or mint sprigs for garnish

Add simple syrup to a blender. Add remaining ingredients and blend until smooth. Pour into glasses and garnish with lemon and mint.

Ginger Simple Syrup:

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 (4-inch) piece of ginger, sliced
• a big handful of mint

Bring water to a low simmer and stir until sugar dissolves.

Add ginger and mint and allow to steep for 20 minutes. Strain and chill.

Squash, Squash, Squash...

It's that time of year when the garden is overflowing with squash. We happen to love it and will have it everyday while it's available, but it becomes a challenge finding new ways to serve it. Today I mixed together this cool, refreshing salad.

Summer Squash Salad

• 2 medium yellow squash, chopped or sliced
• 1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1 red or green jalapeno chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped red onion
• 1/4 cup chopped celery
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh sweet marjoram
  

Dressing~

• 3 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 1 clove garlic pressed
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

In a medium bowl, mix together the squash, peppers, onions, celery and herbs.
Mix together the dressing ingredients and pour over the vegetables. Toss to combine and chill.

Cooks note: I love sweet marjoram and have an abundance of it in my garden. If you can't find it, oregano is a great substitute, or really any herb that you happen to like.
I find it so easy to make my dressings in a mason jar. One with a screw top and the measurements on the side. Add all the ingredients and shake it up to blend.