Lychee Martini Sorbet

When the mood strikes, drinks out at a nice bar will see me ordering Lychee Martini - its sweet and the taste of alcohol is not too strong. Of course, it helps that the martini glass imparts an air of sophistication to the drinker as well. My name is Eunice, Eunice...

Just in time for WCC#18. I was still in the sorbet mood and the theme had my eyes peeled at the fruit section in the supermarket. The beautiful peaches, strawberries and cherries caught my eye but I felt that it would be a shame to mush them up for sorbet. At the price I had to pay for them, they should be enjoyed in all their wholesome goodness. Fortunately, there were basket of lychees there too.

I used a combination of fresh and canned lychees for my recipe as the canned ones tend to be overly sweet. However, you can do as I did or simply use either fresh or canned by itself. I did not use the liquid that the canned lychees came in because the sugar content was unknown and too much sugar can inhibit the feezing process.

The alcohol part was tricky because I wanted to make sure that the sorbet would freeze. I decided to hold back on the vodka and simply drizzle it over the sorbet before serving. That way, I can drizzle on more depending on taste.

Lychee Martini Sorbet
makes 3-4 cups

3/4 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 kg lychees or 2 large cans of lychee
4 tbs lychee liquer
4-8 tbs vodka

Combine the sugar and water in a saucepan over low heat to make a syrup, set aside to cool. Remove the skin and seed from the lychee to get only the pulp or drain the canned lychees to remove any liquid. Blend until puree is smooth to get 2 1/2 cups.

Mix the syrup, puree and lychee liquer together, chilling thoroughly before freezing in the ice cream machine according to the manufacturer's instructions. Drizzle vodka over the sorbet before serving.

Verdict: Definitly a cool concoction! Much nicer than the drinks at the bar since this 'drink' remained cold a lot longer. Cheers!

Mangosteen Sorbet

Having made both ice cream and sorbet, I'm sticking to the latter for the moment simply because its so much easier and a lot more refreshing.

This time, I chose mangosteen to make for Darren, my foodie buddy. He once ate 3 kg of this fruit in one sitting while chatting with me so I know this is definitely his favourite.

The mangosteen is known as the Queen of Fruits because it is often eaten together with the durian, the King of Fruits. Durian lovers never just eat one seed of the fruit - they often open up a few fruits to sample and enjoy. Since the durian is considered to give 'heat' to the body, the mangosteen is usually eaten after a durian session to provide a balance as it is supposed to 'cool' the body.

I'm posting this in time for HHDD#13 but I'm not sure if I'm allowed two entries. Just be aware that this beautiful deep purple fruit may not be so readily available to most and might be expensive the way strawberries and peaches are costly over here. In any case, Donna Hay's basic sorbet recipe is so versatile for any type of fruit, the possiblities are endless.

Magosteen Sorbet
makes about 3-4 cups

3/4 cup sugar
1 cup water
2 kg mangosteen
1/2 tsp lime juice

Combine the sugar and water in a saucepan over low heat to make a syrup, set aside to cool. To open the mangosteen, simply press the fruit firmly until a crack appears on the shell before prying it open. Remove the pulpy flesh of the mangosteen, taking care to avoid staining yourself with the fibres from the shell (easily washable if taken care of quickly). To remove the pulp from the seeds, press the fleshy white segments through your fingers. The seeds are usually found in the bigger segments of the fruit, the smaller sigments are often seedless. Blend the pulp in a the blender to get about 2 1/2 cups of puree (if it falls short, just top up with more water).

Mix the syrup, puree and lime juice together, chilling thoroughly before freezing in the ice cream machine according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Verdict: Another fruity refreshing treat. If you haven't tried mangosteen, the chilled fruit totally hits the spot on a hot day. I can't really describe the flavour - its sort of tart and peachy but its yums! Can't wait for the round-up on July 15th for more flavours to try. Look out for it!

Malibu Orange Sorbet

Its still hot and I'm now turning my focus to sorbets for HHDD#13. I decided to get the icy version of my preferred cocktail drink and tweaked the basic recipe provided to get my own Malibu Orange Sorbet.

I'm not much of a drinker. A good cocktail to me has to be something sweet so I can't taste the alcohol. I'm a sleepy drunk but before getting to that stage, I will feel like an iron, emanating heat from the effects of the alcohol. So you can see why drinking isn't all that fun for me.

Malibu Orange Sorbet
makes about 4 cups

3/4 cup sugar
1 cup water
2 oranges
2 1/2 cups orange juice (unsweetened)
6 tbs Malibu

Combine the sugar and water in a saucepan over low heat to make a syrup, set aside to cool. Cut away the rind and pith of the oranges. Using a paring knife, cut between the membranes to remove only the juice sac segments. Place in blender together with any juice squeezed from the remaining pulp, blend to get about 1/2 cup of puree.

Mix the syrup, puree, juice and Malibu together, chilling thoroughly before freezing in the ice cream machine according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Verdict: Sweet but the presence of Malibu could have been stronger. However, I was afraid that the sorbet would not freeze if I added in too much alcohol. Anyway, in this weather, my favourite cocktail in a brain-freeze inducing state is a welcomed accompaniment to enjoying the late afternoon sun on my balcony.

Mango Ginger Ice Cream

We don't get summer here in the tropics but it sure seems as if its been hotter than usual. I can usually sleep with just the fan blowing all night but lately, I've had to have the air-conditioning on and take at least 2 showers a day.

Therefore, ice cream for July's Monthly Mingle was a timely impetus for me to take out the still-new ice cream machine and get cracking. I knew I didn't want to start with a boring flavour like vanilla or chocolate. I was instead inspired by my favourite handwash, a mango and ginger scented one.

Today, the smell of mangoes permeated the entire kitchen and I was so tempted to leave them be for the lovely natural perfume. I've left this till the last minute because I was waiting for the mangoes to get overipe so I'm cutting it really close to the deadline.

I've adapted the recipe from this book which provides all sorts of variations to most basic flavours. I guess its a good basic book to start on the ice cream making endeavour.

Mango Ginger Ice Cream
makes about 5 cups

2 large ripe mangoes
1-1 1/2 inch knob of ginger, chopped
2 tbs fresh lime juice
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup sugar
2 large egg yolks
1 tbs cornstarch
1 cup milk
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup crystallised ginger, chopped

Remove as much flesh as possible from the mangoes. Combine the mangoes, ginger, lime juice, corn syrup and salt in a food processor, processing until smooth. Pour the puree through a strainer to remove any fibrous bits, getting about 1 3/4 cups of puree.

In a mixing bowl, combine the sugar, egg yolks and cornstarch until crumbly. In a saucepan, heat the milk until it is simmering, stir it into the sugar egg mixture until all the sugar is dissolved. Return the mixture to the saucepan and over low heat, stir constantly until the custard thickens enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Remove from heat and strain the hot custard into a large bowl to cool.

Combine the cooled custard, puree and cream in the bowl and mix well. Cover and refrigerate until cold. Pour the mixture into the ice cream machine and follow the manufacturer's instructions. Finally, add in the crystallised ginger when the ice cream is soft and still churning.

Verdict: I love the sweet heat of this flavour! Also, the contrast between the temperature and the slight heat from the aftertaste is intriguing. Better pack some for my parents before I polish it all off trying to satisfy that intrigue.