Food Matters Project: Raspberry-Tequila & Peach-Coconut Sorbet

 

 

I'm having a difficult time putting into words just what the Food Matters Project means to me: participating (mostly) weekly with a group of amazing food bloggers, seeing the wide variety of dishes all beginning with the same source recipe, branching out and away from my normal selection of favorite dishes and creating new favorites. All of these things combine to equal something greater than the parts. Each food matters member has a goal to, at minimum, participate in a movement. It's mostly a simple movement. Make good food! Share your enthusiasm for good food with others! But if you think about it, in today's society of Go Go Go and On Line On Line On Line, we are all managing to take one day each week to slow down and make something special and good that we then share with the people we love.

I've been thinking a lot lately about living simply. This can lead to surprisingly grandiose thoughts like: Maybe I'll buy a farm! or Live off grid! or Hike the Pacific Crest Trail! or Travel the USA with my Vintage Teardrop Trailer! I know the reality of it is that - at least for most people - life equals a 9 to 5 job, a mortgage, and a schedule largely dictated by forces outside of ourselves. I can't help but desire something that involves hard work but a carved out freedom instead. Right now, I'm content to take small and constant steps toward the future, and today that means homemade sorbet.

Sorbet strikes me as the kind of recipe where you improve your skills with each making. This might be because I've never made it before but still chose to experiment with the ingredients instead of following a recipe exactly. Neither of my recipes turned out exactly the way I expected but I still like them. I anticipate that I will continue to try out new and interesting combinations until I find some favorites. I'm especially interested in combining fruits with fresh herbs. I also wouldn't mind trying out some fizzy options (aka. sparkling drinks with a spoonful or two of sorbet). I guess we'll just see what happens!

The recipe I picked for my turn to host the Food Matters Project is the Raspberry Cabernet Sorbet found on page 576 in The Food Matters Cookbook by Mark Bittman. The original recipe goes like this:

1 pound frozen raspberries
1/2 cup silken tofu, yogurt, or creme fraiche
3 to 4 tablespoons sugar
2 to 4 tablespoons cabernet or other full-bodied, flavorful red wine

1. Put the raspberries, tofu, sugar and 2 tablespoons wine in a food processor. Process until just pureed and creamy, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed and adding more wine 1 tablespoon at a time if the fruit doesn't break down completely. Be careful not to overprocess or the sorbet will liquify.

2. Serve immediately or freeze for up to a day or two; if serving later, allow 10 to 15 minutes for the sorbet to soften at room temperature.

I chose to switch up some of the ingredients but essentially followed the steps given by Bittman.

3/4 pound raspberries, frozen
1/4 pound peaches, frozen
1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
3 TBS sugar
2 TBS silver tequila

*I had to put my sorbet in the freezer to get a more solid texture prior to serving.

Next time I want to use whipped vodka instead of tequila (which was my original intention anyway). I'm not one hundred percent sure that I like the seeds from the raspberries in the sorbet but I also don't know that I'd want to process them out of the recipe.

I am in love with sorbet. And I have another sorbet recipe to share with you. I think what I love most about making your own food/dessert is the ability to branch out and follow your "cravings". I wanted to make a non-dairy sorbet option so here goes:

1 pound peaches, frozen
1/2 cup coconut milk, from a can
3 TBS sugar
2 TBS chardonnay 

*If you are not a fan of coconut you can always use greek yogurt instead!