Slushed! Part 13

Southern Comfort is a cla.s.sic liquor with hints of bourbon and peach. It's the perfect foil for sweet peach nectar. Serve straight up in gla.s.ses, or topped with a splash of ginger ale.

MAKES ABOUT 1 QUART.

4 cups peach nectar cup Southern Comfort 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice Whisk the peach nectar, Southern Comfort, and lemon juice together in a large bowl. Give it a taste. Depending on how sweet your peach nectar is, you may want to whisk in a few tablespoons of sugar.

Pour into a shallow, freezer-safe dish. Freeze for an hour. Stir the mixture with a fork to break it up. Return to the freezer. Check and rake with a fork every 30 minutes, until the entire mixture is icy and frozen.

Sloe Gin Fizz Granita

This lovely pink granita is a fun twist for the gin lover in your life. Sloe gin, a shockingly red liqueur, is made by infusing blackthorn berries and sugar with gin. Serve this granita garnished with a lemon twist.

MAKES ABOUT 1 QUART.

1 cup water 1 cup sugar 3 cups soda water cup sloe gin 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice Put the water and sugar in a medium-sized pot over high heat. Simmer until the sugar has dissolved. Cool to room temperature.

Stir in the soda water, sloe gin, and lemon juice.

Pour into a shallow, freezer-safe dish. Freeze for an hour. Stir the mixture with a fork to break it up. Return to the freezer. Check and rake with a fork every 30 minutes, until the entire mixture is icy and frozen.

Moscow Mule Granita

A Moscow Mule is a potent mix of ginger ale and vodka. This frozen version is long on ginger flavor. Garnish with a few slices of candied ginger.

MAKES ABOUT 1 QUART.

4 cups ginger ale cup vodka Zest from 1 large lemon Candied ginger, for garnish Combine the ginger ale and vodka in a shallow, freezer-safe dish. Gently stir in the lemon zest. Freeze for an hour. Stir the mixture with a fork to break it up. Return to the freezer. Check and rake with a fork every 30 minutes, until the entire mixture is icy and frozen. Serve garnished with candied ginger.

How about a Slushy? Granitas make a great base for c.o.c.ktails, since they're basically highly flavored ice. For a Moscow Mule Slushy, put a few scoops of granita into a martini gla.s.s. Toss on a shot or two of vodka and top with a splash of cold ginger ale.

Vodka Gimlet Granita

This is a great treat to serve instead of c.o.c.ktails at summer dinner parties. It's a sweet-and unexpected-way to start a meal on a warm August night.

MAKES ABOUT 1 QUART.

4 cups lemon-lime soda cup vodka Zest and juice from 1 large lime Zest and juice from 1 large lemon Combine the lemon-lime soda, vodka, lemon juice, and lime juice in a shallow, freezer-safe dish. Gently stir in the lemon zest and lime zest. Freeze for an hour. Stir the mixture with a fork to break it up. Return to the freezer. Check and rake with a fork every 30 minutes, until the entire mixture is icy and frozen.

Chapter 8.

Sorbet and Sherbet

What's the difference between sorbet and sherbet? It depends who you ask. In fact, some will tell you that the jury is still out. However, it's generally agreed upon that sherbets are made with milk, and sorbets are not.

Sorbets are typically a heady blend of fruit juices, sugar, and-in these recipes-some kind of alcohol. They can be smooth, or dotted with bits of fruit. They're a great way to use any kind of really ripe fruit you happen to have on hand. Don't be afraid to hit your local farmers' market and get creative with your blender.

While the few sherbets included here are creamy, keep in mind that they're going to be a lot icier than any kind of ice cream, because of the dramatically lower fat content and lack of egg yolks.

Because of the lower fat content in all the recipes in this section, take them out of the freezer about 15 minutes before you want to serve them. This will knock the chill off and make them nice and scoopable.

Blackberry Limoncello Sorbet

For this sorbet, sunny lemon Limoncello enhances the flavor of ripe, juicy blackberries. Serve big bowls garnished with a handful of fresh blackberries and a little lemon zest.

MAKES ABOUT 1 QUART.

1 cups sugar 1 cup water 24 ounces fresh blackberries, plus more for garnish 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice cup Limoncello Lemon zest, for garnish Combine the sugar and water in a medium-sized saucepan. Set the pot on the stove over high heat. Whisk occasionally until the sugar dissolves. Bring the mixture to a boil and continue boiling for about 2 minutes. This is now the simple syrup.

Remove the pot from the heat. Cool the mixture to room temperature, then pop it in the fridge to chill it completely.

Pick through your blackberries and discard any that are bruised or otherwise suspect looking. Put half of them in the blender along with half of the chilled simple syrup. Puree on high for 30 seconds, until the berries are completely liquefied.

Strain the blackberry mixture into a large bowl. It'll be thick, so push it through with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon.

Blend and strain the remaining blackberries and simple syrup. Add the lemon juice and Limoncello into the strained mixture. Stir to combine.

Because you chilled the simple syrup, your mixture should still be fairly cold. Process it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

When it's done, it will have the texture of melted ice cream. Transfer it to a freezer-safe container.

Smooth out the surface. Press a layer of plastic wrap onto the surface. Pop the pan into the freezer for at least a few hours (ideally, overnight), until it's completely frozen.

Cranberry Mulled Wine Sorbet

Mulled wine is a popular fall c.o.c.ktail. This zinfandel-infused orange cranberry sorbet is fragrant with cinnamon and freshly grated orange zest. The fresh cranberry reduction gives this sorbet a velvety, jammy texture. This recipe calls for a large amount of wine, so it freezes on the softer side. For a firmer sorbet, cut the wine down a little and up the amount of orange juice.

MAKES ABOUT 1 QUART.

1 cups freshly squeezed orange juice 1 cups sugar 2 cups whole cranberries Zest from 1 orange teaspoon ground cinnamon 2 cups red zinfandel Put the orange juice and sugar in a medium-sized pot. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, whisking until the sugar dissolves. Add the cranberries. Continue to simmer, stirring frequently, until the cranberries start to pop open. Strain the mixture into a large bowl, mas.h.i.+ng the solids down with a spoon to extract as much liquid as you can. Discard the solids.

Add the orange zest, ground cinnamon, and red zinfandel, stirring to combine. Let cool to room temperature, then chill completely in the fridge.

Process the mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. Transfer to a container. Freeze overnight.

Lemon Drop Sorbet

Remember Lemonheads-the candy from when you were a kid? This sorbet is a version of their older sister, the Lemon Drop c.o.c.ktail. It's a little sweet, a little sour, and packed with sa.s.sy lemon flavor.

MAKES ABOUT 1 QUART.

2 cups water cup sugar Zest from 1 lemon cup fresh lemon juice cup Absolut Citron vodka Put the water and sugar in a medium-sized pot. Simmer over medium-high heat until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat.

Stir in the lemon zest, lemon juice, and vodka. Let cool to room temperature, then chill in the fridge until completely cold.

Process the mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. Transfer to a container. Freeze overnight.

Persephone's Pomegranate & Orange Liqueur Sorbet

This jewel-red sorbet is lush with ripe pomegranate flavor. A little orange juice and zest add bright citrus notes. A big bowl of this on a hot day is well worth a trip to the underworld (or supermarket).

MAKES ABOUT 1 QUART.

2 cups pomegranate juice cup sugar Zest from 1 orange cup fresh orange juice cup PAMA pomegranate liqueur Put the pomegranate juice and sugar in a medium-sized pot. Simmer over medium-high heat until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat.

Stir in the orange zest, orange juice, and PAMA liqueur. Let cool to room temperature, then chill in the fridge until completely cold.

Process the mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. Transfer to a container. Freeze overnight.

Quick Tips If you can't find PAMA liqueur, use Absolut Citron vodka or triple sec. Bottled pomegranate juice is available in the refrigerated section of most large U.S. markets. Use 100-percent juice, not a watered-down juice drink that's packed with sugar.

Limoncello & Mint Sorbet