Watermelon Mojito Sorbet

(I apologise for the lack of a picture here. It was one of those times when we were running out the door, sorbet in a cooler, trying to make it in time for an ice-cream social at a friends place. It was a ton of fun! We sampled some amazing desserts, home made wines and ice cream. I think it's an awesome idea and want to plan something myself soon!)

This summer I have been experimenting with ice cream and gelato recipes. I still haven't found that perfect 'healthy' recipe for ice cream. The consistency is always a little icy-er than I'd like it when I skimp on the heavy cream. Or it could be my ice cream maker. Oh well, back to the drawing board!

This weekend our new mint bush was taking over the deck, so I decided to chop it down to size and use the fresh mint leaves in a multitude of things- punch, soup and a sorbet! 

This sorbet is very fresh tasting. It would make a perfect palate cleaner between courses of a heavy meal!

Ingredients:

3 cups watermelon juice
1 cup water
1 cup cane sugar 

(or to taste- depends on the sweetness of the watermelon. Also remember that once churned, the sweetness intensifies. So aim for a moderate sweetness before the mix goes into the ice cream maker)
1 cup lightly packed fresh mint leaves
2 tsp corn starch (dissolved in 2-3 tbsps of water)
Zest of 2 limes
1/2 cup lime juice (I used about 4 limes)
1/2 cup vodka (A citrus liquor would also work here- I used part vodka part limoncello)
2 Tbsp mint chiffonade

Bring the water, juices (watermelon, lime) and sugar to a gentle boil
Stir until the sugar dissolves. Turn off the heat.
Chop the mint and add this and the zest to the juice. Steep for about 20 minutes.
Add the cornstarch mixture and bring to a gentle boil again. Stir for a couple minutes until slightly thickened.
Stir in the liquor/vodka and mix well until combined.
Chill in the refrigerator until cold and freeze in an ice cream maker (5 minutes before it is done, add in the mint chiffonade)
Place the sorbet in the freezer (front portion- the back is too cold), for a couple hours to harden

Nutella Cookies

I love hazelnuts. I love chocolate. This was an easy culinary decision.

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Makes about 32 small cookies
Bake Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:
1 cup whole wheat white flour/ all purpose flour
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated white sugar
1 and 1/4 cups chopped dark chocolate
(I used schraffen berger 70% dark, chopped into small pieces. You could also use semi sweet chocolate chips)
1 cup toasted and chopped hazelnuts
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 stick unsalted butter, cold
1 egg, room temperature

Cream the butter and sugars until fluffy
Add the egg, vanilla, baking soda and salt- mix well
Mix in the flour until incoorporated
Gently mix in the chocolate and nuts

Using a cookie scoop, place dough (about 1/2 tbsp each) onto buttered and floured cookie sheets with 2 inch spaces between each cookie.
Bake in a preheated 350F oven (top 1/3rd shelf) for about 15 minutes or until cookies are lightly golden
Gently place on a cooling rack and cool for atleast 5 minutes before digging in!

Blueberry Maple Coffee Cake

Continuing the saga of blueberry related recipes, here is a coffee cake that will pick you up any afternoon. Enjoy with your favorite mocha or a cold coffee on a hot summer day!

It is not very easy to lighten up baked goods but I've been inspired by many culinary blogs out there that focus on natural cooking. This cake is sweetened mostly with maple syrup and blueberries. Feel free to substitute for any other berry as well. If you dont like the flavor of maple syrup (what!!), you could use equal parts of agave nectar, brown or cane sugar, even honey!

The cake is moistened with the berries and greek yogurt. The amount of butter has been more than halved from a traditional coffee cake recipe. I used fat free yogurt.

The whole wheat flour makes for a more crumbly cake and is substantial. So a thin slice goes a long way with this cake! I think the orange and the rosemary bring out the freshness of the berries and just remind me of summer. I think next time I'll experiment with raspberries, honey and lemon zest. Maybe a different nut as well- pine nuts?

Prep Time: 1 hour
Cooking Time: ~40 minutes
Serves: 12 modest slices

Ingredients:

Cake-
1/2 stick of butter- room temperature
1/2 cup maple syrup- room temperature
1 egg or 1/2 cup applesauce- room temperature
1/4 cup greek yogurt (fat free is ok)
2 tbsp milk (reduced fat is ok)
2 tsp vanilla
Zest of 1 orange
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 cups blueberries

Topping-
1/2 stick butter- cold, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/3 cup maple syrup or brown sugar
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 tsp dried rosemary

Beat the butter until fluffy in a large bowl with a whisk. Add in the maple syrup, egg/apple sauce, vanilla and zest and beat well. Sift the flour with the baking powder and soda. Mix in the rosemary. Add half of this to the butter mix. Stir. Add the greek yogurt, stir well. Add the rest of the flour and stir until barely combined. Moisten with the milk and add 1.5 cups of the berries in. Stir gently. Scrape the batter into a well buttered and floured cake pan (1 used a 1 pound loaf tin. You could also line the pan with parchment paper instead of flouring it)

Heat the oven to 350F

Make the topping- In a food processor- pulse all the ingredients about 20 times until the mixture resembles a crumbly, doughy texture. Using your fingers crumble 1/2 of this onto the cake. Sprinkle the remaining berries on top and crumble the rest of the topping onto the cake. Flatten very gently very with your fingers.

Bake for about 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out mostly clean. Cook in pan for a couple minutes and then turn out onto a wire rack to cool.

Iced Blueberry Mocha

 

This weekend I went blueberry picking! We went a little overboard and ended up with 15 pounds of them! So stay tuned for recipes that feature the bluest berries as the main ingredient this week! Here's a variation on a classic hot drink made for summer and the ripe berries that surround us- dont knock it until you try it!


Prep Time: 5 minutes
Serves: 1

1/2 to 1 cup blueberries, rinsed, picked over
1 and 1/2 tsp espresso powder/ instant coffee powder (I used an Italian instant espresso powder) (or 1 shot of your favorite espresso)
1 tsp cocoa powder (I used ghiradelli's semi sweet chocolate sauce) (or 1 tbsp of your favorite chocolate sauce)
1/2 cup ice
1/2 cup milk
1tbsp caramel/vanilla syrup (or 2 tsp cane sugar)

Give all the ingredients a whirl in a blender and serve garnished with a few blueberries and shaved chocolate