What is it you need most when the temperature is just two degrees Celsius and snow is down to the 200 metre level? Of course! Ice cream!
Tim had purchased some beautiful Queensland strawberries at a surprisingly low price at our local Coles supermarket, while we don't often eat out of season fruit and veg in this house, these were too good to miss, big, red and surprisingly tasty...and it's good to support local producers, isn't it? Well, enough of the justification...I decided that storing a couple of punnets of the berries away in the freezer would be a good thing to do and so this morning when the boys were out digging some fence posts in the Antarctic breeze, I made some of our favourite icey dessert. It is wrong to call it ice cream as it contains no cream or custard. It is made from strawberries, sugar, egg whites and vanilla...that's it! More of a sorbet really...
Tim had purchased some beautiful Queensland strawberries at a surprisingly low price at our local Coles supermarket, while we don't often eat out of season fruit and veg in this house, these were too good to miss, big, red and surprisingly tasty...and it's good to support local producers, isn't it? Well, enough of the justification...I decided that storing a couple of punnets of the berries away in the freezer would be a good thing to do and so this morning when the boys were out digging some fence posts in the Antarctic breeze, I made some of our favourite icey dessert. It is wrong to call it ice cream as it contains no cream or custard. It is made from strawberries, sugar, egg whites and vanilla...that's it! More of a sorbet really...
Preparing the berries...remove the hulls and roughly quarter them if large...as these were
All preparation done, with a cup of sugar, two egg whites and a dash of vanilla extract added to the bowl...
Start whisking...SLOWLY...until the berries are broken up by the whisk...unless one wants a very gloopy mess of course...cooking is all about personal preferences really...
After a short time, (this took about 2 minutes in the KitchenAid), the bowl will be filling with a pinky mousse...
After another thirty seconds or so you will have a firm mousse...my Kenwood took a little longer to get to this stage, maybe six minutes...
The mixture scraped into two two litre freezer boxes ready to be sealed and frozen for at least twenty four hours, but forty eight hours is better. Strawberry debris will be gathered around the tines of the whisk but I incorporate these. It is nice to come across a tiny piece of fruit while eating, but you could remove these if you prefer it smooth. Making this while you are alone in the house and not telling anyone about it is the best way of ensuring that it gets to mature properly...it doesn't last long once the piranhas get wind of it!
Well that's it for this episode...I don't normally "do" recipes or talk food here in this environment...but this recipe is too good not to share. Oh, I wouldn't bother trying this with a hand whisk, but then I'm basically very lazy, but it would be very hard work indeed...
One last thing is you are someone who loves the taste of strawberries and cream, or needs to keep the kilojoule count up to stay healthy (I wish!) then pour a little cream over the frozen sorbet as it is dished...heavenly! Reminds me of a Weis bar, except that's mango and cream...but you get the jist...
I was delightfully surprised by a visit this morning from a niece who lives in Queensland. She has been visiting friends and family members in Tasmania and my brother picked her up at the airport and drove her here for a catchup.
Rebecca was able to update me on her sister Jayne who recently had spinal surgery and lives in the North West of the state. Apparently she continues to improve and is slowly getting back to normal. A slow recovery, as I know only too well, can be very frustrating...boredom is a real issue but it sounds as if she is getting there.
Tim and Chris arrived home in time to see Bec as well, and then her father and step mother called by to pick her up. It is very unusual for them to call in, so I had a lovely social morning after all, with coffee and lots of chat.
I did feel a bit guilty that I had made strawberry sorbet instead of using the slightly jaded bananas in the fruit bowl to make banana bread. Warm banana bread would have been a lot nicer to serve with the coffee instead of the chocolate wheaten biscuits which was all we had in the pantry, but I soon got over that! I know I am not perfect and don't live in a perfect world...I am learning as I age!
Better go, I have a couple of cards nagging at me wanting attention...it's either that or clearing out the linen cupboard...decisions decisions!
Bye now,
Di
PS...if you visit do leave me a comment, they make my day unless you are very rude ;)
One last thing is you are someone who loves the taste of strawberries and cream, or needs to keep the kilojoule count up to stay healthy (I wish!) then pour a little cream over the frozen sorbet as it is dished...heavenly! Reminds me of a Weis bar, except that's mango and cream...but you get the jist...
I was delightfully surprised by a visit this morning from a niece who lives in Queensland. She has been visiting friends and family members in Tasmania and my brother picked her up at the airport and drove her here for a catchup.
Rebecca was able to update me on her sister Jayne who recently had spinal surgery and lives in the North West of the state. Apparently she continues to improve and is slowly getting back to normal. A slow recovery, as I know only too well, can be very frustrating...boredom is a real issue but it sounds as if she is getting there.
Tim and Chris arrived home in time to see Bec as well, and then her father and step mother called by to pick her up. It is very unusual for them to call in, so I had a lovely social morning after all, with coffee and lots of chat.
I did feel a bit guilty that I had made strawberry sorbet instead of using the slightly jaded bananas in the fruit bowl to make banana bread. Warm banana bread would have been a lot nicer to serve with the coffee instead of the chocolate wheaten biscuits which was all we had in the pantry, but I soon got over that! I know I am not perfect and don't live in a perfect world...I am learning as I age!
Better go, I have a couple of cards nagging at me wanting attention...it's either that or clearing out the linen cupboard...decisions decisions!
Bye now,
Di
PS...if you visit do leave me a comment, they make my day unless you are very rude ;)
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