Blackberry-Lime Sorbet
Very nice fruity sorbet. The lime juice adds a nice touch besides the blackberries.
Ingredients for the blackberry-lime sorbet:
450 g blackberries
1 leaf of gelatine
150 g caster sugar
180 ml water
180 ml freshly squeezed lime juice (about 9 limes)
Preparing the blackberry-lime sorbet:
Heat the sugar and the water to create a syrup. When the sugar is completely dissolved in the water take it off the heat. Bloom the leaf of gelatin in a bowl of cold water for 5 minutes then drop it into the syrup and stir until it dissolves. Let the syrup and gelatine mixture cool to room temperature.
Puree the blackberries in a blender and then pass them through a fine sieve to get rid of the seeds. Mix in the syrup and gelatine mixture with the blackberry puree then add the lime juice.
Chill the mixture thoroughly (I put it in the freezer for about 30 minutes) and then churn in your ice cream maker according to the instructions.
Crème Brûlée
Garlic Puree
This is a nice puree that works great with for instance lamb.
This will make enough for about four persons.
Ingredients for the puree:
2 bulbs of garlic
250 ml double cream
Salt
Pepper
How to make it:
Peel the garlic cloves and put them in a small saucepan. Poor cold water on top to cover the cloves. Put on the hob and bring the water to the boil, let the water boil for about one minute then drain it.
Repeat the same process two times.
After the final draining put the cooked garlic back into the same pan and pour the cream on top. Bring to the boil again and simmer for about 6 minutes or until the cream is reduced by one-third.
Blend the mixture in a blender or food processor to a smooth puree and pass the mixture through a sieve into a clean bowl. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper and set aside.
Between The Sheets
Since I really like the Sidecar cocktail it’s not surprising that I also really liked Between The Sheets cocktail. This is a bit like Sidecars little brother and also a member of the sours family.
The addition of rum makes it a bit more suitable for summer drinking and gives it a little hint of Daiquiri.
This recipe is enough for one martini glass.
Ingredients for Between The Sheets cocktail:
30 ml cognac (I used Courvoisier VSOP)
30 ml light rum (I used Havana Club 3 year old light rum)
30 ml triple sec (I used Cointreau)
20 ml freshly squeezed lemon juice
How to make a Between The Sheets cocktail:
Put the Martini glass in the freezer for a bit to make it cold.
Shake ingredients with ice, fine strain into the chilled Martini glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.
Chorizo and butterbean stew
This is an easy and delicious rustic stew.
Ingredients for the stew:
350 g butter beans
225 g cooking chorizo
5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 medium onion, finely chopped
175 ml red wine (preferably Spanish)
1 x 400g can plum tomatoes
Tomato puree
1 tablespoon thyme leaves
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 lemon
Salt
Pepper
Olive oil
How to make it:
Cut the chorizo and garlic into thin slices. Put the olive oil and garlic in a pan over medium-high heat until the garlic begins to sizzle. Add the chorizo and cook until the slices are lightly browned on all sides. Add the chopped onion and continue to cook until the onions are soft. Add the red wine and cook until the wine has reduced to almost nothing.
While the wine is reducing chop up the plum tomatoes. Add the tomatoes and a bit of tomato pure. Add the beans, thyme and some chopped parsley as well. Season with salt and pepper. Let the stew simmer for a good 15 minutes until it’s nice and thick.
Check for seasoning and squeeze some lemon juice into the stew if you think it needs some acidity.
Spoon the stew into bowls, scatter some chopped parsley on top and serve with a nice toast of bread.
Daiquiri
This recipe is enough for one martini glass.
Ingredients for the Daiquiri:
60 ml light rum (I used Havana Club 3 year old light rum)
20 ml freshly squeezed lime juice
1 teaspoon caster sugar
How to make the Daiquiri:
Put the lime juice and sugar in a cocktail shaker and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Add the rum. Add plenty of ice and shake for a good 10 seconds.
Fine strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Add a wedge of lime for garnish.
Kiwifruit Sorbet
This was a great tasting sorbet. The taste is a bit unusual but very refreshing and interesting. The crushed seeds from the kiwifruits adds an additional texture to the sorbet.
Ingredients for the kiwifruit sorbet:
1 kg of kiwifruits (10 to 15 kiwifruits)
1 leaf of gelatine
150 g caster sugar
330 ml water
1 lemon (optional)
Preparing the kiwifruit sorbet:
Start by preparing the kiwifruits (this will take a bit of time…). The easiest way is to half them, then peel them with a paring knife and then removing the tough end bit and the woody bit in the middle of the fruit. Quarter the halves and put them in a blender.
Meanwhile heat the sugar and the water to create a syrup. When the sugar is completely dissolved in the water take it off the heat. Bloom the leaf of gelatin in a bowl of cold water for 5 minutes then drop it into the syrup and stir until it dissolves. Let the syrup and gelatine mixture cool to room temperature.
Blend the kiwifruits until you end up with a puree. You should have about 500 ml of fruit puree after blending. Add the syrup and blend some more. Add some lemon juice if you think it needs more acidity.
Freeze in ice cream maker according to your ice cream makers instructions (probably around 30-45 minutes).
Old Fashioned
Pineapple Champagne Sorbet
