blueberry-basil sorbet

Sarah of The Delicious Life is hosting the 21st edition of Sugar High Friday. This month’s theme is “Ice Ice Baby”, here are Sarah’s instructions: How you interpret Ice Ice Baby is up to you – churn your own ice cream, freeze a fruit ice, build a sundae, hug two cookies around a snowball and call it a sandwich, or create some other de-luscious thang that’ll help us cool down in the high heat of summer. Anyone who has been reading my blog this last month should know that this theme shouldn’t be a problem for me.

The other night my friend received a large quantity of blueberries from a friend of his who went blueberry picking. He had so many blueberries he almost didn’t know what to do with them, but then he decided he wanted to make a blueberry sorbet. He called me up and asked me if I wanted to help. Since I have never made blueberry sorbet before I was curious and agreed to help him. I invited him over and we searched for some blueberry sorbet recipes. We decided to use a simple blueberry sorbet recipe which we found on epicurious. We did however alter the recipe by adding 5 medium-sized leaves of basil and 2 tablespoons of vodka to the original recipe. We added the basil and the vodka during the blending process. It was a simple and refreshing sorbet, which definitely tasted of blueberries with a small hint of basil.

Technorati Tags: Blueberry, SHF, Sorbet, Sugar High Fridays

mixed berries with lemon honey sorbet

The weather seems to be getting hotter. In the heat, it is hard to concentrate and get things done at times. Here is a fresh and simple summer dessert: mixed berries with sorbet. I made a quick lemon honey sorbet for my berry salad. If its too hot or inconvenient, I suggest buying some lemon or raspberry sorbet to spoon on top.

Lemon honey sorbet

100 g. sugar
100 g. honey
275 ml water
juice of 7 lemons

Place the sugar, honey and water in a pan, bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minute. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for a while. Juice your lemons. Mix the lemon juice and the sugar syrup together, cover and refrigerate until cold or overnight. Stir sorbet mixture and freeze in your ice cream machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Technorati Tags: Ice cream, Sorbet

c restaurant

Last week, I had the pleasure of visiting and spending sometime in the kitchen with my friend and colleague Merri Schwartz. Merri is the pastry chef at C restaurant in Vancouver. The food at C features some of the finest local seafood and produce that Vancouver has to offer. It has a wonderful reputation and is consistently rated one of the top restaurants in Vancouver for contemporary fine dining. Over the last three years at C, Merri has been making and creating fantastic sweets in the pastry kitchen. Everything in the pastry kitchen is made in-house from freshly baked artisan breads and crackers, to ice creams and sorbets and most importantly plated desserts. Shown below, are six new desserts currently on the menu at C. If you have the opportunity to dine at C, I definitely recommend it. Don’t forget to save room for dessert.

My favourites on Merri’s new menu are creamy and seasonal. Creamy is a crème brûlée with a small pool of raspberry and rose puree hidden inside; it is served with raspberries, Turkish delight, pink peppercorn shortbread and a rose caramel. Seasonal is rhubarb and almond tart plated with rhubarb jelly, crushed almonds, milk and honey ice cream with a leaf of caramelized fireweed honey.




Creamy: crème brûlée, raspberry and rose
Balance: warm and cold cherry, gingerbread, chocolate




Sharp: fromage frais cheesecake, blackcurrant, pecan
Chocolate: single estate chocolate pate, apricot, cocoa




Chilled: milk chocolate and peanut butter ice cream cake, banana
Seasonal: rhubarb and almond tart, fireweed honey

Technorati Tags: Dessert, C restaurant, Merri Schwartz

raspberry and salmonberry tarts

Berries are definitely in season, so I decided to make two berry tarts. The tarts are composed of pâte sucrée dough, a vanilla pastry cream and topped with fresh berries. These tarts make a simple and satisfying summer dessert. The raspberries were picked from Philippe’s garden and the salmonberries were picked with the help of my two nephews and niece, during a recent trip visiting them on Vancouver Island.

Pâte sucrée

21/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 large egg yolks
1/4 cup ice water

1. Place the flour and sugar in the bowl of a food processor, and process for a few seconds to combine. Add the butter pieces to the flour mixture, and process until the mixture resembles course meal, about 10 seconds. In a small bowl, lightly beat the egg yolks and ice water. Add egg-water in a slow steady stream through the feed tube, with the machine running, just until the dough holds together. Do not process for more than 30 seconds.

2. Turn the dough out onto a work surface. Divide into 2 equal pieces, and place on 2 sheets of plastic wrap. Flatten, and form two disks. Wrap, and refrigerate at least 1 hour before using.

Makes two 11-inch tarts, two 9-inch tarts, or two 8-inch tarts.
This pastry dough may be stored in the freezer for up to 1 month. Defrost by refrigerating overnight or letting stand at room temperature for 1 hour.

* From the Martha Stewart Living Cookbook

Pastry cream

2 large whole eggs
2 large egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 cups milk
1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and scraped,
or 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut in tablespoons

1. Combine the eggs, yolks, and 1/2 cup sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until the mixture is pale yellow and thick, about 5 minutes. Turn off the machine. Sift in the cornstarch; beat on medium-low speed until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.

2. Prepare an ice-water bath; set aside. Combine the milk, the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar, and the vanilla bean and seed scrapings in a medium saucepan, and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat, and discard the vanilla bean. Whisking constantly, slowly pour half of the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture; whisk until smooth. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining hot milk. Set over medium heat, and whisk until the mixture reaches the consistency of pudding, 2 to 3 minutes.

3. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Add the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring until melted and incorporated after each addition. Place the bowl over the ice bath, stirring occasionally, until chilled. Cover the surface of the pastry cream with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming; let chill overnight or at least 11/2 hours before using.

Makes 3 cups. This will fill two 9-inch tart shells, three 3 x 14-inch rectangles, or up to four-dozen 3-inch tartlets. It can be made ahead and chilled for up to 3 days.

*From the All New Joy of Cooking

Technorati Tags: Dessert, Raspberry, Salmonberries, Tarts

sweet corn ice cream & fresh mint ice cream

Doesn't it look like a big scoop of butter?

A couple of weeks ago my friends Kajola and Terry came over to try two new ice creams I made: sweet corn ice cream and fresh mint ice cream.

If you like corn, this ice cream is a definite must. Use the freshest corn you can find. The better the corn, the better the ice cream. This recipe is adapted from Claudia Flemings, The Last Course.


Sweet corn ice cream

1 cup 35% cream
1 cup whole milk
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp sugar
5 egg yolks
2 ears of fresh sweet corn, shucked

1. Place cream, whole milk and corn in a small saucepan. Bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Once it has come to a boil, take it off the heat and let the corn infuse for 30 minutes. Blend with a hand mixer, blender or food processor.
2. In a small bowl, whisk the 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp of sugar with the egg yolks until well mixed. Temper the egg yolk mixture with 1/2 cup of the hot cream mixture.
3. Once tempered, add the rest of the egg mixture into the cream mixture. Bring the mixture up to 85ºC or until it coats the back of a wooden spoon.
4. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve to remove the corn and cool. Let the mixture sit in the refrigerator over night or until completely cool, at least four hours.
5. Process in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s directions.





I find fresh mint in ice cream to be lovely and refreshing. It is definitely better than the common artificially flavoured and coloured mint ice cream. The mint in the recipe here is infused with milk and cream to create a wonderfully distinct flavour. There are many types of mint. I like using peppermint or spearmint, keeping in mind that peppermint has a stronger flavour than spearmint. Other mints might also taste delicious.


Fresh mint ice cream

1 cup 35% cream
1 cup whole milk
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp sugar
5 egg yolks
1/2 cup roughly chopped mint

1. Place cream, whole milk and mint in a small saucepan. Bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Once it has come to a boil, take it off the heat and let the mint infuse for 30 minutes.
2. In a small bowl, whisk the 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp of sugar with the egg yolks until well mixed. Temper the egg yolk mixture with 1/2 cup of the hot cream mixture.
3. Once tempered, add the rest of the egg mixture into the cream mixture. Bring the mixture up to 85ºC or until it coats the back of a wooden spoon.
4. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve to remove the mint and cool. Let the mixture sit in the refrigerator over night or until completely cool, at least four hours.
5. Process in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s directions.

Technorati Tags: Ice cream

summer ice cream round-up

Summer is here, and it is definitely hot!

The creativity and commitment of food bloggers never ceases to amaze me. For my summer ice cream event, food bloggers from across the world have shared some wonderful recipes.




Danielle from Habeas Brulee makes an intriguing Thai ice tea ice cream. Ice tea and ice cream are both great in the summer, and I can only imagine that they taste fabulous together. (USA)

Elena from Intrepid Gourmet makes a beautiful pink cherry blossom ice cream inspired by the cherry blossoms of Japan. (UK)

Kieran from Ice Cream Ireland pushes the limits of ingredients to make ice creams beyond what we generally imagine. Kieran came up with a fancy and sophisticated Dom Perignon sorbet. (IRE)




Lara from Cookbook 411 creates a lovely and elegant pear gelato with dark chocolate phyllo cookies. (USA)

Nabeela from Trial and Error makes a fresh mango sorbet to beat the heat. (USA)

Pepper of Frugal Cuisine experiments with matcha (green tea powder) to create some intriguing products like coconut matcha ice cream. (CAN)




Francesca of Fiordizucca creates a stunning butternut squash ice cream. (UK)

Riana of Garlic Breath (don't let the name fool you, because there is much more than garlic on her blog) makes a beautiful and lively lemon gelato. (FR)

Jasmine from Confessions of a Cardamom Addict makes strawberry ice cream, a perennial favourite for many, me included . (CAN)




Melissa of Hecticium creates a number of goodies: pistachio ice cream, prune frozen yoghurt and pistachio stuffed dates. (UK)

Tea of Tea and Cookies makes a creative Singapore ice cream, which contains chili flakes, black peppercorn, candied ginger and pistachios. (USA)

Bridget of Pint Sized Cookery offers a simple, satisfying and lovely three berry custard. (USA)




Cindy of Sourcream Timbits shows us that you can make a lovely sorbet without an ice cream maker! Check out her mango sorbet. (CAN)

Bonnie of Daydream Delicious confesses that she doesn't like frozen desserts; so, she shares a lemon posset, which looks like a lovely summer dessert! (UK)

Marilyn from Cauponilla seems to have a love of chocolate; she offers a classic chocolate gelato. (USA)




Mickey of Kitchen Inferno uses Chambord liqueur to make an intriguing Chambord ice cream. (USA)

Emily from Appetitive Behavior offers up a yummy looking frozen gianduia mousse. (USA)

Alanna of A Veggie Venture makes buttered pecan ice cream (with pecan meringue cookies) – looks wonderful. (USA)




Ramya of Cascading Flavors creates an unusual red finger millet (ragi) ice cream, which sounds healthy and still delicious. (USA)

Vanessa from Tongue and Cheek turns a favourite summertime drink into a sorbet. Check out her mojito sorbet. (CAN)

Faith of Mekuno Cooking offers an orange and honey caramel ice cream – fantastic job, Faith! (USA)




Ulrike of Küchenlatein makes a beautiful and ethereal elderflower sorbet. (GER)

Meeta from What's for lunch, honey? creates a cool and refreshing lemon sorbet with Limoncello. (GER)

Julie from Cookbook Addict offers up an all American favorite – Ben's chocolate ice cream from Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream. (FR)




Stefanie from Couteau Bonswan provides a topping for all our ice cream, Grandma Noble's chocolate syrup. (USA)

Ivonne of Cream Puffs in Venice creates a strawberry ice cream with a lovely twist: strawberry crème fraîche ice cream with coconut, vanilla sugar and lemon zest. It looks divine! (CAN)

Chopper Dave & Mrs D from Belly Timber make a wicked and stunning vodka watermelon sorbet. (USA)




Jason from Pursuing My Passions creates an intriuguing edamame ice cream. I have edamame in my freezer and want to use it to try this one. (USA)

Megan of Chez Megane makes an irresistible ice cream sandwich with her chocolate brownie cookies and chocolate chip mint ice cream – need I say more! (FR)

Your host, Sam of Sweet Pleasure : Plaisir Sucré, offers a simple and satisfying chestnut ice cream. (CAN)




Anita from Dessert First shares two mouthwatering recipes: white peach sorbet and roasted cinnamon ice cream. (USA)

Last, but not least, Keiko from Nordljus creates a lovely and unusual gooseberry and elderflower ice cream. (UK)

A big thank you to everyone who participated! I had a great time reading all your wonderful posts. This might become an annual event!

Technorati Tags: Gelato, Ice cream, Sorbet, Summer ice cream event

chestnut ice cream

Simple and satisfying, chestnut ice cream is my contribution to my summer ice cream event!

I am growing increasingly fond of chestnut as a flavour. A versatile nut, chestnut can be eaten candied, boiled or roasted. Another important use of chestnut is ground as flour, which can then be used to prepare bread, cakes and pasta. My favourite chestnut recipes include roasted chestnuts, marrons glacés and chestnut cake.

The ice cream I describe here tastes of pure chestnut. The recipe calls for less sugar because the chestnut spread used as an ingredient is very sweet. Chestnut puree can be used instead; however, the quantity of sugar will then need to be increased. I decided to use chestnut spread partly because it contains glucose, and glucose helps create a smoother (less icy) ice cream that tends to last longer. Sweetened chestnut spread can often be found in ethnic or specialty food stores.


Chestnut ice cream

1 cup 35% cream
1 cup whole milk
1/4 cup sugar
5 egg yolks

1 - (225g) can of sweetened chestnut spread

1. Place cream and whole milk in a small saucepan. Bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally.
2. In a small bowl, whisk 1/4 cup of sugar with the egg yolks until well mixed. Temper the egg yolk mixture with 1/2 cup of the hot cream mixture.
3. Once tempered, add the rest of the egg mixture into the cream mixture. At this point you can add the sweetened chestnut spread and mix until combined. Bring the mixture up to 85ºC or until it coats the back of a wooden spoon.
4. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve and cool. Let the mixture sit in the refrigerator over night or until completely cool, at least four hours.
5. Process in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s directions.

Technorati Tags: Chestnut, Ice cream, Summer ice cream event