Papaya-lime sorbet for a day of bad news

So I’ve read that my #2 all time favorite band has come to an end and Detective Stabler is leaving “Law & Order: SVU”, not to mention they’re adding Jennifer Love Hewitt to the cast (the show will be dead to me then) – all that on the same day. Poor me. :(

After such bad news one really needs something sweet to lighten up their day; even better if it’s a dessert with a minimum amount of guilt. :)

Papaya-lime sorbet
from the fantastic ice cream bible The Perfect Scoop

1 kg (2 pounds) papayas
2/3 cup (133g) superfine sugar*
¼ cup (60ml) water
¼ cup (60ml) freshly squeezed lime juice
pinch of salt

Cut the papayas in half and remove the seeds with a spoon. Still with a spoon, remove the flesh and place into a blender. Add the sugar, water, lime juice and salt and blend until a smooth purée forms. Chill the mixture thoroughly then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Transfer to an airtight container and freeze.

* the papayas I used were very sweet, so I used only ½ cup (100g) sugar; use less than the amount required and adjust according to the sweetness of the fruit

Makes about 1 liter (1 quart)

Plum sorbet sandwiches with molasses cookies

My first ice cream sandwiches – I could not believe how moreish these are. :D

Even thought I thought the cookies overpowered the sorbet flavor a little – I would go for vanilla cookies with this sorbet next time – these sandwiches were pretty good. :)

Speaking of moreish, I’m hoping Natalie Portman gets the Oscar this year: not only because her performance on “Black Swan” is absolutely breathtaking, but also because she delivers the best acceptance speeches – yes, Natalie, it’s not OK to be an a**hole; some people I know should definitely listen to you. :D

Plum sorbet sandwiches with molasses cookies
sorbet from Sunday Suppers at Lucques, cookies from Flour

Sorbet:
450g (1 pound) very ripe juicy plums
½ cup (100g) caster (superfine) sugar
2 tablespoons honey
juice of ½ lemon

Cookies:
2 cups (280g) all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¾ cup (170g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 ¼ cups (220g) light brown sugar, packed
¼ cup unsulphured dark molasses
1 egg
granulated sugar, for coating

Start by making the sorbet: cut the plums in half, remove the pits, then cut the halves into quarters. Toss the plums with the sugar and honey and let sit for 30 minutes. Transfer to a blender and purée until very smooth – I tried using a food processor, but the mixture was still to chunky, to I used the processor after that. Season with lemon juice, to taste.
Chill at least 1 hour in the refrigerator, then process the purée in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Now, the cookies: in a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, salt and cloves. Set aside.
In the large bowl of an electric mixer, mix together the butter, brown sugar, molasses and egg in low speed for about 10 seconds or until well combined. Add the dry ingredients at once and stir just until they’re totally incorporated and the dough is evenly mixed. Scrape the dough into an airtight container and refrigerate for at least 3-4 hours or overnight.
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F; line two large baking sheets with baking paper. Scoop out 1 leveled tablespoon of dough and roll gently the granulated sugar – if the dough is very cold you’ll be able to roll the dough into balls using your hands before rolling them in the sugar.
Place onto prepared pans, spacing them 2.5 inches apart. Bake for 16-18 minutes or until the cookies crack on top and are just barely firm to the touch – mine never cracked, so I remove them from the oven when they were lightly golden on the bottom. Let cool on the baking sheet, on a wire rack, for 10 minutes, then carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Makes about 50 cookies

Assembling the sandwiches: scoop about 2 ½ tablespoons of the sorbet onto the bottom side of one cookie, then place the bottom side of a second cookie over the sorbet pressing gently to make a sandwich. Wrap in plastic wrap and freeze.

Makes about 15 sandwiches – there will be some cookies left; they can be kept in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Pineapple mint sorbet and Saveur’s Best Food Blog Awards

I had a wonderful surprise yesterday: Technicolor Kitchen has been nominated for best baking and dessert blog on Saveur’s Best Food Blog Awards!! How amazing is that? I can hardly believe it. Please, vote for me! :)

Can you imagine how much I talked about last night? My poor husband. :)
I had to have a scoop of this sorbet to chill out – I adapted the amount of ingredients from a DH pineapple sorbet recipe, but the idea of adding mint was Joao’s.

Pineapple mint sorbet
adapted from Donna Hay magazine

1/3 cup + 2 ½ tablespoons (84g) caster sugar
½ cup (120ml) water
400g peeled pineapple
handful of mint leaves
3 tablespoons lime juice

Prepare the basic sorbet syrup: place sugar and water in a small saucepan over low heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Increase the heat and boil for 1 minute. Set aside to cool completely, then refrigerate for 1 hour.
Process the pineapple until you get a thick juice. Add the mint and process until finely chopped. Combine the pineapple juice, lime juice and syrup in a bowl and stir to combine.
Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer’s instructions until the sorbet is just firm. Transfer to an airtight container and freeze for 3-4 hours.

Serves 8

Watermelon sorbet

I used to think that brownies were the easiest dessert in the world but I was wrong – sorbets are easier! What a wonderful discovery. :)

The only “but” is that there is no bowl-covered-in-chocolate-goo to lick at the end. ;)

Watermelon sorbet
from Donna Hay magazine


1 cup + 1 ½ tablespoons (218g) caster sugar
½ cup (120ml) water
900g peeled watermelon
1/3 cup (80ml) lemon juice

Place the sugar and water in a saucepan over low heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Increase the heat and boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and set aside to cool completely.
Process the watermelon in a food processor or blender to get 2 ½ cups (600ml) juice. Place in a large bowl, add the sugar syrup and the lemon juice and stir to combine.
Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker* and follow the manufacturer’s instructions until the sorbet is firm. Transfer sorbet to an airtight container and put in the freezer until firm, at least 4 hours.

*My ice cream maker would not hold all the mixture so I removed 2/3 cup of it prior to pouring into the machine

Makes 3 ½ cups