Cranberry sorbet

I made this cranberry sorbet as part of my annual ice cream birthday party.  I've done it for a few years now and I always like to use different recipes for the social.  After I had all my ice cream recipes gathered (oreo cheesecake, lemon curd, Irish Car Bomb with Guinness ice cream and a Bailey's Irish Creme swirl, honey vanilla coconut, basil, dulce de leche, and sweet cream), I realized that all the flavors were heavy and cream-based and there wasn't anything light and fruity.  After a quick search, I settled on the season-appropriate cranberry sorbet. 

I've made sorbet before and it froze rock-hard, even with alcohol. For this cranberry sorbet, I waited to churn it until shortly before the party.  I needn't have worried, though. I've had it in my freezer for 2 weeks now, there is nary an icy chunk to be found, and it's still as good as when I first made it. We can thank the Grand Marnier for that; there's just enough to keep it soft and enhance, without overwhelming, the cranberry.

This sorbet exceeded my expectations! It was tart and sweet and it was fairly creamy (as far as sorbets go). One of my guests had the brilliant idea of pairing it with the lemon curd ice cream and it was super yummy!

Cranberry season may be winding down, but there is still plenty of time to make this sorbet, so hop to it!

Cranberry Sorbet
Barely adapted from UseRealButter who, in turn, adapted it from David Lebovitz.

The liqueur is optional, but highly recommended.  The flavors really work together but, more importantly, it keeps the sorbet scoopable directly from the freezer.  If you nix the liqueur, you'll need to let the sorbet stand at room temperature for about 10 minutes before scooping.  Also, if you don't have any Grand Marnier, I bet you could substitute vodka, but go easy on it. 

Makes about 1 quart.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups cranberries, fresh or frozen
• 1 cup water
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 cups cranberry-raspberry juice
• 2-3 teaspoons Grand Marnier (optional)

Directions

Heat cranberries, water, and sugar in a medium saucepan until liquid begins to boil. Let boil for 1 minute then remove from heat and cover. Let stand for about 30 minutes. Purée the cranberries and their liquid in a blender or food processor then press through a sieve to remove the cranberry skins and seeds. (conversely, you could use a food mill fitted with a fine disk). Stir in the juice and the liqueur. Chill the mixture thoroughly, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Key lime pie ice cream

I like to make homemade ice cream and I'll use any excuse to prepare it more frequently, so imagine my excitement when I saw that Scoopalicious was having an ice cream contest sponsored by Eagle Brand.  To be considered for the contest, the recipe must include Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk.  Key lime pie is one of my favorite desserts and it's one of the first things that comes to mind when I think about sweetened condensed milk.  So, naturally, I had to make key lime pie ice cream for the contest.  

I'm used to working with higher fat ingredients when making ice cream, so I wasn't sure about using the 2% milk that this recipe called for.  If I wasn't so steadfast about making a recipe as written the first time, I would have used full-fat milk or half and half and definitely a higher cream ratio (I'd still like to experiment with this in the future).  In any event, I'm glad I followed the recipe because the lower fat content allowed the key lime flavor to shine.  It also lent a slight iciness to the ice cream that was refreshing, especially after letting it sit in the freezer for a day.  

 

If you can swing buying organic dairy ingredients, definitely do that.  It may just be me, but I think that organic milk and cream add a little extra something to ice cream. 

Since I'm not in the habit of using bottled lime or lemon juice, I bought a bag of key limes to squeeze - Oh, the benefits of living in South Florida!  I also zested the key limes, but I wouldn't recommend doing this unless you're a bit of a masochist because it took far too long for a such a small amount of zest.  I won't do that again. The actual cutting and squeezing of the limes was pretty quick because they are so small.

Key Lime Pie Ice Cream

Slightly adapted from Real Mom Kitchen

If you can't find real key limes or bottled Key Lime juice - make sure it's Key Lime juice, not Key West lime juice - you could use regular limes or bottled lime juice.  Also, double check the ingredients of the bottled juice to make sure there's no sulfur in it.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups 2%  milk
• 1/2 cup Key lime juice 
• Key lime zest, optional
• 1/2 cup whipping cream
• dash of salt
• 1 (14-ounce) can Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk
• handful or so honey graham sticks (or 2 cookie sheets of conventional graham crackers), coarsely crushed

Directions

Combine first 6 ingredients, stirring with a whisk.  If you're using an ice cream maker, freeze according to manufacturer’s instructions.  Fold graham cracker crumbs into the ice cream.  Transfer the mixture to a freezer-safe container and freeze until firm, about 1 hour. 

If you are not using and ice cream maker, pour the mixture into a freezer-safe container and freeze for 6 hours or until firm.  When the ice cream is slightly firm, fold the graham cracker crumbs into the ice cream.

When I served this, I put some of the remaining graham cracker crumbs on the bottom of each dish before I scooped in the ice cream.  

Makes 1 1/2 qts.