Here in Florida, August tends to be that summer month that Floridians dread, weather-wise. It's hot and humid, the hurricane season is still playing with us...Sort-of like the opposite February up north, in that we're so over the sauna-like humid heat. What's a person to do?
Besides staying in air-conditioning, it helps to have cool drinks and/or desserts. And so, here are six cool dessert recipes to help you through the day, including Mocha Sherbet Freeze and Candy Corn Ice Cream. Enjoy!
LEMON BLUEBERRY SORBET
This is from a long-since-forgotten emailing list. It begins, “Lemon verbena enhances the lemon flavor of this blueberry sorbet. The rum is optional. The recipe calls for frozen blueberries, so you can make it year-round.”
Yield: 4 servings.
Ingredients
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup whole lemon verbena leaves
1 bag frozen blueberries (14 to 16 ounces)
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
2 Tablespoons lemon-flavored rum (optional)
Preparation
Put sugar and lemon verbena in a food processor and process 30 seconds. Add frozen blueberries and process 1 minute.
With the processor on, pour lemon juice and rum, if using, through the feed tube; process until smooth.
Serve sorbet immediately, or transfer to a covered bowl and keep in freezer (soften slightly before serving, if necessary).
LEMON SORBET
Here’s another recipe from that infamous long-since-forgotten emailing list. Makes 8 servings.
Ingredients
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon zest
Preparation
In a small saucepan, bring the water and the sugar to a boil, stirring the mixture to dissolve the sugar. Add the lemon juice and zest to the sugar syrup and freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
CANDY CORN ICE CREAM
This is from Lindsay Funston on Delish. Lindsay’s recipes look incredibly yummy!
This recipe begins, “This is going to change whatever you feel about candy corn. Trust.”
Total Time: 5 hours 20 minutes; Level: Easy; Serves: 10 servings.
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
3 C heavy cream
1 14- oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2-4 drops each red, yellow, and orange food coloring
10 plastic dessert cups
10 candy corns, for decorating
Directions
In a large bowl using a hand mixer or whisk, beat heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Fold in sweetened condensed milk and vanilla extract until completely combined.
Separate mixture evenly into three separate bowls.
In one bowl, add 2 drops each red and yellow food coloring to form your orange ice cream layer. (Continue to play with the color until you’re happy with the shade.) In another bowl, add 2 more drops yellow food coloring to form your yellow ice cream layer and stir until combined. (Continue to play with the color until you’re happy with the shade.)
Among 8 to 10 plastic dessert cups, layer white, yellow, and orange ice cream colors. Top with candy corn and freeze until firm, 5 hours. (If you don’t wish to make individual cups, you can also layer colors in a 9-x-5” loaf pan and garnish with candy corn.)
When ready to serve, remove ice cream from freezer 10 minutes to soften.
NO-CHURN PUMPKIN PIE ICE CREAM
This also comes from Lindsay Funston on Delish. This one begins, “Get your pumpkin on while it's still warm out.”
Total Time: 4 hours, 10 minutes; Prep: 10 minutes; Level: Easy; Serves: 8
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
2 C heavy cream
1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1/3 C canned pumpkin
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 C crushed ginger snaps
Directions
Using a stand mixer, whip cream until stiff peaks form.
Stir in sweetened condensed milk, pumpkin, and pumpkin pie spice and fold until thoroughly mixed and not streaky. Stir in vanilla extract and ginger snaps.
Pour mixture into a loaf pan and freeze until firm, 4 hours.
MOCHA SHERBET FREEZE
Yet another recipe from that infamous long-since-forgotten emailing list.
Ingredients
2-1/4 cups strongly brewed coffee or espresso
3/4 cup sugar
6 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
Pinch of salt
3/4 cup whole milk
Preparation
Whisk together the coffee, sugar, cocoa powder, and salt in a large saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil and allow it to boil for 30 seconds, whisking constantly. Remove from the heat and stir in the milk.
Chill the mixture thoroughly, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Perfect Pairing: To make a Mocha Freeze, for each serving put 2 scoops of Mocha Sherbet (4 ounces, 115 g) in a blender along with 1/2 cup (125 ml) very strongly brewed coffee or espresso, 1-1/2 tablespoons sugar, and 3 ice cubes. Blend until almost smooth. Pour into a glass and top with Whipped Cream.
CRANBERRY ICE
I'm not sure where this came from, other than that infamous long-since-forgotten emailing list. This one begins, “Lovely citrus lends flavor to tart cranberries in this refreshing sorbet that can be served up for dessert, as a palate cleanser between meals or to liven up turkey in place of cranberry sauce.”
Ingredients
2 (12 ounce) packages fresh cranberries
2 cups white sugar
1 1/4 cups fresh orange juice
1 cup fresh lemon juice
Instructions
In a large pot, add cranberries and enough water to cover. Boil until cranberries begin to pop. Drain and put through a food mill placed over a large bowl.
While still warm add sugar to dissolve in the warm berries. The amount of sugar may vary depending on the tartness of the berries, so if you decide to add more sugar remember that the mixture will be tarter when it has been frozen.
After dissolving the sugar in the berries, stir in fresh squeezed orange juice and fresh squeezed lemon juice. Pour in 8 or 9 inch square pan and freeze overnight. Take out of the freezer 5-10 minutes before cutting.
