We all scream

As some of you may remember with last years' Moose Tracks incident, ice cream is the one thing I can't keep in the house; it speaks to me until I shut it up by downing it all. (Who can get any work done with all that talking?) So when I aquired an ice cream machine - an investment I recommend any ice cream lover make - I came up with some ways to make ice creams, sherbets and sorbets with much less fat and calories. I posted my favorite recipe for almost fat-free chocolate sorbet ages ago, and now I sometimes make it chocolate-mint with the addition of a teaspoon of mint extract. (You could also make it chocolate-orange by using orange juice in place of the water.) But my new favorite find is the ultimate in fro-yo: any good-quality plain or flavored yogurt (I buy Bles Wold, made in Lamont, AB, or Vital Green Farms, made in Picture Butte, AB) can be dumped into an ice cream machine to make great frozen yogurt, but 101 Cookbooks turned me on to a way of making it really rich and ice-cream-like: strain it first.


Frozen Yogurt

Line a colander with a sheet of paper towel or cheesecloth, and scrape in a large container of yogurt. I like vanilla, but even better is plain yogurt turned into vanilla yourself. Let the yogurt drain in the fridge for up to 6 hours. Scrape it out into a bowl and stir in about ¼ cup (or less) of sugar, honey or maple syrup per 1 cup of yogurt, and add a teaspoon of good vanilla extract. Stir until the sugar is dissolved (let it sit for a bit to help this along), then freeze in your ice cream machine. Any number of ingredients can be swirled in – chopped or pureed fruit, chocolate or caramel syrup, frozen fruit, cookie dough, etc.

Key Lime Sherbet

Combine 1 can of sweetened condensed milk and 1 can of lime juice in a medium bowl; stir until the mixture thickens. Stir in a can of half and half, or a can of simple syrup (make by bringing equal parts sugar and water to a simmer, then cooling) and freeze in an ice cream machine. If you want to make Key Lime Pie Sandwiches, spread the soft lime sherbet on graham crackers, top with another, wrap in plastic wrap and freeze until firm.

Easy Melon Sorbet

Cut a ripe, juicy cantaloupe, honeydew or half a watermelon into chunks and freeze (on a cookie sheet if you don’t want them to all freeze together). Puree the frozen chunks in a food processor until smooth and slushy, adding sugar or honey to taste, and a little juice or water if it needs it to help it puree. Eat it soft, or transfer to the freezer to firm up a bit.

For Berry Sorbet, the ratio should be about 1 ½ cups pureed berries or other soft fruit (you can strain it if you like to get rid of the seeds) to 2 cups simple syrup (make by bringing equal parts sugar and water to a simmer, then cooling); blend, chill and freeze in an ice cream machine. To make a fruit ice or granita, freeze in a 9x13” pan or casserole dish until firm, then break into chunks and pulse in the food processor, or scrape with a fork for a granular granita.