Ready for Dessert (29 page)

Set the bowl containing the custard over a larger bowl of ice water. Stir the custard until cool, then cover and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.

Freeze in an ice cream machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Stir the pecans into the just-churned ice cream when you remove it from the ice cream machine.

VARIATION:
Use 1½ cups (150 g) of
Spiced Candied Pecans
in place of the plain pecans.

MAKES ABOUT 1 QUART (1 LITER)

There are some very strange people out there who claim not to like coconut. I don’t know how on earth a person couldn’t love something that’s naturally sweet, creamy, and the ideal companion to any and all tropical fruits—and a perfect mate to chocolate, too. This sherbet drizzled with
Bittersweet Chocolate Sauce
will make a coconut convert of any nonbeliever.

4 cups (1 liter) whole milk

1 cup (200 g) sugar

1¼ cups (90 g) dried unsweetened shredded coconut, toasted

¼ vanilla bean, split lengthwise

3 large egg whites

Pinch of salt

In a medium saucepan, combine the milk, sugar, and toasted coconut. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean and add them to the saucepan, then drop in the pod. Heat the mixture until it’s warm, then remove from the heat, cover, and let steep for 1 hour.

Pour the mixture through a mesh strainer set over a bowl and squeeze the coconut with your hand to fully extract the flavor; discard the coconut. (The
vanilla pod
can be rinsed, dried, and used for another purpose.) Cover and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.

Just before churning, in a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment (or in a bowl by hand), whisk together the egg whites and salt on high speed until they form soft peaks. Fold the whipped egg whites into the chilled coconut-infused milk.

Freeze in an ice cream machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

SERVING:
A scoop of this sherbet is perfect nestled in a dish with
Passion Fruit-Tangerine Sorbet
or
Strawberry-Mango Sorbet
. And I’ve been known to blend it with an imprudent amount of dark rum and fresh pineapple for an extraordinary piña colada.

MAKES ABOUT 1 QUART (1 LITER)

In case anyone thinks that the Internet is a cold, impersonal place, I’ve got evidence to prove them wrong. One day, completely out of the blue, I received an e-mail from a server who worked at a restaurant where I’d been the pastry chef, saying that not only did I have the sweetest smile, but that she loved the sherbets and sorbets that I made there. I don’t know which compliment was more touching, but I take any and all whenever I can, and via whatever medium they are sent.

This was one of the sherbets I made at that restaurant, where I remember a different server taking a bite and her face lighting right up. “This tastes like a Mounds bar!” she exclaimed with a mix of surprise and delight. For me, that was another compliment, since that’s one of my favorite candy bars.

1 cup (250 ml) water

1 cup (200 g) sugar

5 ounces (140 g) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped

2 cups (500 ml) canned Thai coconut milk

1 to 2 tablespoons dark rum

In a medium saucepan, bring the water and sugar to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Remove from the heat, add the chocolate, and whisk until the chocolate is completely melted. Stir in the coconut milk and 1 tablespoon of the rum.

Pour the mixture into a blender and process until completely smooth. Taste and add 1 tablespoon more rum, if desired. Cover and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.

Freeze in an ice cream machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

MAKES ABOUT 5 CUPS (1.25 L) SHERBET; 6 TO 8 SERVINGS

Somewhere along the way, mint sherbet got a bad rap. Perhaps too many catered wedding receptions began with a pallid artificially green scoop melting away in the middle of a melon half, the sherbet chosen because it matched the bridesmaids’ dresses rather than for its taste. Thankfully, any color you’ll find in this mint sherbet comes naturally from a big handful of fragrant, zesty fresh mint.

Unlike ice cream, sherbet is usually made with milk, and no cream or eggs, so I never feel guilty about indulging in a couple of scoops. Nor do I feel deprived if I’m craving something a tad creamy. Light yet creamy—it’s a recipe for a perfect marriage.

MINT SHERBET

4 cups (1 liter) whole milk

1 cup (200 g) sugar

2 cups (80 g) lightly packed fresh mint leaves, crushed, plus a few leaves for mixing in

3 large egg whites, at room temperature

Pinch of salt

FIGS ROASTED WITH CHARTREUSE AND HONEY

1 pound (450 g) fresh figs

3 tablespoons (45 ml) Chartreuse

2 tablespoons (30 ml) honey

2 or 3 sprigs fresh thyme

To make the sherbet, in a medium saucepan, warm the milk, sugar, and crushed mint leaves, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Remove from the heat, cover, and let steep for 1 hour.

Pour the milk through a mesh strainer into a medium bowl, squeezing the mint leaves firmly to fully extract the flavor; discard the leaves. Cover the mint-infused milk and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.

Just before churning, in a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment (or in a bowl by hand), whisk the egg whites and salt on high speed until they form soft peaks. Fold the whipped egg whites into the chilled milk.

Freeze in an ice cream machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Finely chop the mint leaves and fold them into the just-churned sherbet when you remove it from the ice cream machine.

To make the roasted figs, preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Remove the tough stem ends from the figs, then halve each one. Toss the figs in a shallow baking dish that holds them in a single layer with Chartreuse, honey, and thyme sprigs; turn the figs so they’re cut side down. Cover with aluminum foil and bake until the figs are soft and tender, about 25 minutes.

Serve the figs warm or at room temperature with scoops of the mint sherbet.

STORAGE:
The figs benefit from being cooked in advance—the liquid that they exude during baking becomes syrupy as they sit and is perfect for drizzling over the sherbet. If possible, bake the figs a few hours or up to 2 days before you plan to serve them, then reheat them in a low oven if you want to serve them warm.

MAKES ABOUT 1 QUART (1 LITER)

Lots of people eat grapes out of hand, but they don’t quite know what else to do with them. Well, I do. I use them to make sorbet. Though seedless grapes are great for snacking, they’re the least flavorful varieties. If you’re lucky enough to live near a farmers’ market, or if you can get your hands on grapes that are good for wine making, like Chardonnay, Merlot, or Zinfandel, you’ll find they make the most amazing sorbets.

I have a few older Jewish aunts who swear that Concord grapes make good wine (that comes in a square bottle). I’m not so convinced about the wine, but Concord grapes do, indeed, make one of my favorite sorbets.

2¼ pounds (1 kg) wine grapes or Concord grapes, stemmed (see Tip)

¼ cup (60 ml) water

1 tablespoon sugar if using wine grapes or ¼ cup sugar (50 g) if using Concord grapes

2 tablespoons (30 ml) light corn syrup or agave nectar

Put the stemmed grapes in a large saucepan with the water. Cover and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the grapes are juicy and softened.

Remove the seeds and skins by passing the grapes through a food mill fitted with a fine disk or by pressing them through a mesh strainer set over a large bowl. Whisk the sugar and corn syrup or agave nectar into the still-warm grape juice until dissolved. (If the grape juice has cooled, rewarm it gently in a saucepan over low heat.) Cover and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.

Freeze in an ice cream machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

SERVING:
Because grapes have a lot of water, sorbet made from them tends to freeze very firmly. The sorbet is best eaten shortly after it’s made; otherwise, be sure to remove it from the freezer before serving to allow it to soften.

A pour of Champagne or other sparkling wine over each serving of sorbet is a nice touch. If you used Concord grapes, a spoonful of
whipped cream
provides creamy contrast.

VARIATIONS:
If you don’t have an ice cream machine, you can make
GRAPE GRANITA
. Pour the mixture into a shallow plastic container and place it in the freezer. Check periodically, and as the mixture freezes over the course of a few hours, stir and rake the mixture with a fork several times to create grainy crystals.

Instead of using fresh grapes, you can use 3 cups (750 ml) good-quality unsweetened grape juice. Warm 1 cup (250 ml) of it with the sugar and corn syrup or agave nectar until the sugar dissolves, then mix in the remaining grape juice.

MAKES ABOUT 3 CUPS (750 ML) SORBET; 8 SERVINGS

I read an article in a magazine about the difference between being “frugal” and “cheap” and was relieved to find myself in the frugal category. I’m certainly not cheap when it comes to buying ingredients, but it does go against my frugal nature to throw anything away.

Here, oranges do double duty: the insides supply the juice and the rinds become the serving dishes for the sorbet. Those who are extra thrifty can candy some of the leftover peels to go alongside (see
Candied Orange Peel
). Egg whites left over from another project can be used to make the fluffy meringue that hides the sorbet surprise underneath.

BLOOD ORANGE SORBET

2½ cups (625 ml) freshly squeezed blood orange juice (from about 4 pounds/2 kg oranges), juiced halves reserved

⅔ cup (130 g) sugar

2 teaspoons orange-flavored liqueur, such as Grand Marnier, Cointreau, or Triple Sec

MERINGUE

3 large egg whites, at room temperature

½ cup (100 g) sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

To make the sorbet, in a small saucepan, warm ½ cup (125 ml) of the orange juice and the ⅔ cup (130 g) sugar, stirring until the sugar completely dissolves. Pour the mixture into a medium bowl and add the remaining orange juice and the orange-flavored liqueur. Cover and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.

Using a spoon, scrape out the membranes and any remnants of pulp from 8 of the most attractive juiced orange halves. Slice a small disk off the bottom of each half so it sits upright without wobbling.

Freeze the sorbet mixture in an ice cream machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

To serve, spoon the just-churned sorbet into the orange halves, filling each to about ½ inch (1.5 cm) from the top. Place the filled orange halves on a baking sheet and freeze until firm.

Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C).

To make the meringue, in a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment (or in a bowl by hand), whisk the egg whites on low speed until frothy. Increase the speed to high and continue whisking until the whites just begin to hold their shape. Gradually sprinkle in the ½ cup (100 g) sugar and whisk until the whites are stiff and shiny. Whisk in the vanilla.