Sunday, October 11, 2009

Caramelized Pineapple Ice Cream

This was eaten before I could take a picture!



1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 can pineapple tidbits, juice drained and reserved
1/3 cup agave nectar
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup half & half
1/8 teaspoon salt

1. In a saucepan, combine 1/4 cup brown sugar and drained pineapple tidbits. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until all the brown sugar is absorbed and the pineapple is a dark golden brown color. Chill.
2. Combine the other 1/4 cup brown sugar, reserved pineapple juice, agave nectar, cream, half & half and salt. Heat over medium heat stirring constantly until sugar is dissolved. Chill.
3. Turn on your ice cream maker and pour the cream mixture into the maker. Churn until it's a firm soft-serve.
4. When it's done churning pour the caramelized pineapple into the machine and let it mix.
5. Put into a container and freeze until firm.

My Conclusion~
Yum! This was really good. I loved the pineapple flavor in the ice cream from the juice and the pieces of pineapple. The only thing that I would do differently would be to use 2 cups of cream instead of the cream and half & half. I think it would be even better if it were a little more dense.
Reviews~
Mr. Brown Chick - Really good!
Tween Chick - Didn't like it.
Little Chick - Likes it.
Baby Chick - Like it.

Friday, October 2, 2009

Black Cherry Sorbet


I've been wanting to make sorbet for a while, but was afraid it would be too icy without something to help inhibit ice crystals from forming. Corn syrup won't crystallize and that is why it's used in almost all commercial ice creams, sherbets, sorbets, etc. It keeps the product soft after freezing and gives it a smooth texture. However, I do not want to use corn syrup, so I was searching for another product. Yellow Chick suggested that I try blue agave nectar in place of corn syrup. I found out through research that blue agave nectar will not crystallize, plus it's all natural and has a low glycemic index, so I decided to give it a try.


Black Cherry Sorbet ~



2 1/2 cups black cherries (fresh or frozen), pitted
2 cups 100% black cherry juice (I found this at Fresh & Easy)
1/2 cup blue agave nectar
1/8 cup lemon juice

1. In a food processor or blender, blend together all the ingredients.
2. Chill in the refrigerator until very cold.
3. Turn on your ice cream maker and pour the mixture in.
4. Churn until it's soft but holds it's shape.
5. Freeze until firm.


My Conclusion ~

It has a sweet taste, almost too sweet. It would be better if it were more tart. I'd also like a more intense cherry flavor, but I'm not sure how to accomplish that. Next time I'll add a lot more lemon juice, as black cherries tend to be very sweet. That would probably help with the overall taste. I over processed it as well, resulting in a fluffy texture (you can see that in the picture) which I don't really care for. I churned it for 30 minutes when I should have stopped at 20 minutes. The good news is that the agave nectar seems to have done the trick. It's soft enough to scoop right out of the container. It was okay, but nothing great.



Reviews ~

Only Little Chick & Toddler Chick would taste it and they both liked it.