More Sorbet...can there be too much?



Blackberry Sorbet

  I know it seems silly to do another post about sorbet so quickly, but I couldn't resist.   Last week I bought raspberries and blackberries at the Farmers Market - and (as you might have guessed) made more sorbet.  I had 4 cups of each - the raspberries made a little over a pint, but the blackberries made over two pints!!  You might think we still have some left, but we ate it all already - and by we I mean Eric because I only had a few bites (I'm not a huge berry fan sadly but I keep try).

Making these took an extra step because I didn't add enough simple syrup to the pureed mixtures the first time - so I made more, remixed and froze it again.  I would definitely say taste it before you freeze it the first time and you can avoid this.  

So for each sorbet I used approximately the following - I would start at 1/2 cup and work you're way up to the sweetness you prefer - Eric likes it sweet (I'd make some joke about me being sweet but we know that's not true so we'll just move on).

4 cups raspberries

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 cup simple syrup

4 cups blackberries

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 1/4 cup simple syrup

Make the simple syrup with equal parts sugar and water, heat on low and bring to a boil.  Remove from heat and cool.  Puree and strain the fruit, add the lemon juice and put it in the fridge until simple syrup is cooled completely.  Combine until the correct sweetness is reached.   Freeze until solid, puree again and freeze again.

I want to try changing the simple syrup to a 2-1 ratio so there is more water than sugar - I think it will help add volume without adding more sugar.  Eric says it's perfect the way it is, but it is a little pricey at around $5 a pint.  

I'm sure I'll have more sorbet soon - I bought Bing and Rainier cherries today, as well as apricots.  Fingers - crossed they will turn into tasty sorbet!

First Harvest - Onions!

This will be a pretty short post - I'm enjoying my day off!! Lol.  I did want to share the first harvest from my garden.  The onions aren't as big as I was hoping, but I actually like small onions so I'm not disappointed.   I cut the greens off and used them as green onions - those should last a while!  Since I won't be able to braid the onions to store them, I need to find a mesh bag to store them in.  The onions have been drying for about 2 weeks and I think they are doing pretty well - since I've never done this before it's all a guessing game for me. :)

I hope everyone enjoys their 4th of July!!

Beth

Blackberry Cobbler

I went to a farmers market and picked up a bunch of berries - they had blackberries which are my husbands favorite! He really likes pie, but I didn't time to make one. I will tomorrow or the next day, but I knew a cobbler would suffice for now. So I searched for a good recipe and found this quick recipe and I was happy! I love dump cakes and this seems very similar. The recipe called for self-rising flour. I made mine and will show that in my recipe. If you have self-rising flour use 1 cup.

Recipe:

1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
11/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/4 cup sugar (1/4 cup reserved for topping)
1 cup milk
1 stick of butter melted
2 generous cups blackberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and butter an 8x8 pan. In a medium bowl mix flour, salt, baking powder, and 1 cup sugar. Stir in milk and mix until well blended, add melted butter and pour batter into pan. Sprinkle berries on top evenly and then sprinkle the remaining sugar on top of the berries and bake for 1 hour. Enjoy with ice cream or whip cream if desired.

Something to look forward to...the edges of the cobbler get crispy from the butter, those edges are my favorite!

I hope you enjoy!
F

Strawberry Sorbet

I had a plan - it was a good plan for taking a fun picture of the sorbet I made last week - but then I went to take it...and I admit that I knew I should take it as soon as I finished making it, but I was tired and didn't want to...so now all I have to share is this small amount that was left in the container.  Luckily (for me), Eric has a habit of saving the last few bites for later or I would have been too late :) 

This is a spoonful of Strawberry Sorbet.  The funny thing is - Eric was sure he wouldn't like it because of the strawberries I used.  I bought a 1/2 flat of strawberries (about 6 pints, I think) from the Farmer's Market by my house.  I cut almost 2 quarts up and put a little sugar on them, then I put it in the fridge.  Usually Eric will eat them throughout the day as a snack, but when I asked him the next day if he liked the strawberries he said he thought they went bad bacause they were so dark (I will admit that they threw me off at first too but after trying them they were so yummy, and yes there were ones that were pretty far gone, but not anymore than I would expect from the store for ripe strawberries).  I tried to assure him they didn't go bad - they were just ripe from the farm not the fridge at the store.  No go.  Well, I knew they were fine so I decided to make the sorbet I had originally planned when I bought so many.  After I made it, I told him to at least try it before saying no - then he told me it was the best sorbet he'd ever had! Hahaha - I deserve a gold star for not saying I told you so...I might have said it quietly though :)

This is a super easy recipe - it just takes time so no instant gratification.

Ingredients:
2/3 cup water

2/3 cup sugar
2 lbs strawberries (I used the 4 pints I had left, so I don't know how much it weighed)
2 tbsp lemon juice

Add water and sugar to a small pot on low.  Stir until sugar dissolves, then bring to a boil.  Remove from heat and let cool, pour into a cool dish and place into the fridge.  While you wait, hull, puree and strain the strawberries (I used a food processor but I think a blender would work better).  Add the lemon juice to the strawberries and place in fridge as well.  Once the simple syrup is cooled completely, stir the two mixtures together.  Pour into a freezer safe container, cover and freeze for 3 or 4 hours (I had to wait until the next day).  Put it into the blender/food processor and puree one more time.  Re-freeze and enjoy!!
My 4 pints of strawberries made about 1 1/2 pints of sorbet.   I am excited to make a bunch of different types of sorbet - I can't wait for more fruit to appear at the farmer's market!!   The recipe is from here.   Enjoy! B

Carrot and Peanut Butter Dog Cake and a 1st Birthday Party

We had a first birthday party for our baby, Dex. Are you saying "What? A birthday party for a dog"? Yeah, we did it and had so much fun. My Peas gave me a puppy shower when we got him (my Peas rock!), so why not continue the crazy. We went to a nearby park, hung out with amazing friends (we missed you Beth), ate junk food, had cake and presents. 

I made Dex his very own birthday cake. It was really simple and he loved it. This recipe will make a small cake or a few cupcakes. I used a cake pan that makes the small cake for the top of a wedding cake and all of the batter fit nicely in it.

Ingredients: 

1 cup wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup shredded carrots

1/4 peanut butter

1/4 canola oil

1 egg 

1/3 cup honey

1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Stir together the flour and baking soda, then mix in all of your other ingredients.

Bake for about 30 to 35 min or until a butter knife comes out clean.

For the frosting I just threw some peanut butter, powdered sugar and milk into my Kitchenaid mixer and beat it on high for 5 min.



Dexter waiting for his party to start (and for the carrot in my hand)!



Dex eating a piece of his yummy puppy cake!



Happy Birthday Dexy!

The idea for the cake came from here.

Let your puppy enjoy!

J