Joey's Fruit Juice Sorbet

 Lately I've been turning to delicious ice cold fruit juices instead of carbonated soft drinks to quench a thirst. Whenever I go to the grocery store, my cart fills with several of my favorite kinds of juice, and of course I always try a new juice flavor if I happen to see it. I also like to combine different juices together. As I was drinking an ice cold glass of Pom Wonderful and orange juice, I thought "Wouldn't it be awesome if this was frozen?" Well, there's only one way to find out!! And let me just tell you....the answer to that question is a big fat YES!! So then I tried it with other juices. The apple was big hit with my friend Denny and I must admit that it's my personal favorite as well. It's so flavorful and frosty! It's just the thing for a warm day, or as a palate cleanser between courses during your next elegant full course dinner! Enjoy!

4 cups fruit juice, (apple, orange, pomegranate, mango, blueberry, cranberry, any kind!)
1 cup sugar
juice from one lemon
2 tbs light corn syrup

Pour all ingredients into a saucepan.
Gently heat until all the sugar is dissolved.
Chill the syrup in the fridge until it's very cold.
Pour the syrup into a pre-chilled electric ice-cream maker and churn for 30 minutes.
Scoop into a freezer-proof container and freeze for at least 2 hours until it's firm.


Tips:
 Use any favorite juice you like! Do a blend of juices! Blueberry mango would be SO refreshing! Or how about cherry with lime, or cranberry with peach? Yum! But whatever combination you try, be sure to include the lemon juice. It wakes up the flavor of any juice you choose!
 If you do not have an ice cream maker, pour the sorbet mixture into a freezer proof container and freeze for an hour. Whisk with a fork. Return to the freezer, stirring the mixture with a fork every hour or so to break up any large ice crystals. You won't get the same product, but it'll still be delicious and refreshing.

Cheery Cherry Ice Cream

 Here's an easy frozen something to keep you cool during the summer heat. I saw it on a site called Just a Pinch, and figured it was the perfect thing since it's been so hot out lately. Now, I have to say, I didn't do it exactly as the recipe directed. The original recipe required you to whip the cream and then fold it into the cherry mixture, then freeze it in the freezer. Since I have an ice cream maker, I just stirred everything together in a bowl and then processed it for about 30 minutes. It worked perfectly! If you like maraschino cherries, you're gonna LOVE this!

1 jar(s) (10 ounce) maraschino cherries, undrained and cut into fourths (or smaller, if preferred).

1 can(s) (14 ounce) sweetened condensed milk

3 Tbsp lime juice

1 tsp grated lime zest, optional

1 c heavy whipping cream

  Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Pour into canister of your ice cream maker. Freeze for 20-30 minutes. Transfer to a freezer safe container and place in freezer until firm.

-OR-

 Combine undrained Maraschino Cherries and juice, sweetened condensed milk, lime juice and lime zest in a large bowl. Whip cream in a medium bowl with electric mixer at medium speed until stiff peaks form. Fold Whipped Cream into Cherry mixture. Pour into a 2 quart freezer-safe container or a 9x5-inch loaf pan to freeze her ice cream. Cover and freeze until firm. Or you can leave in the freezer overnight.


Tips:
I think the next time I make this, I won't add the lime zest. I think the lime juice added plenty enough lime flavor to the ice cream. Otherwise it becomes VERY tart.
I also might try this with another kind of cherries. Maybe if I can find Bing cherries in a syrup. Yum! That would be awesome.And perhaps I'll add a little vanilla extract, just to give it more of that cherry vanilla flavor that I love.
Btw, as you can see, I added a little chocolate syrup over the top. Just like a chocolate covered cherry cordial!! SO good.

Fresh Orange Sherbet

 Whenever we get our first really big heatwave, I'm always inspired to make something cool and refreshing. To be honest, I couldn't decide if I wanted a creamy rich ice cream or a frozen fruit sorbet. So I decided to make a cross between the two! Basically, if ice cream and fruit sorbet had a baby, it would be sherbet. It's creamier than a sorbet, but just as fruity and fresh. Perfect for a hot day! This is a slightly tweaked version of an Alton Brown recipe. I also saw it on Disneyfamily.com. Its SO delicious you MUST try it!
Have you bought an ice cream maker yet???
What are you waiting for???

1 cup sugar
2 cups fresh orange juice
grated zest from 1 orange
1 tbs fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups milk

In a medium bowl, stir all ingredients together until the sugar is dissolved. Place the bowl in the fridge until completely chilled.
Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and process until it is the consistency of soft serve ice cream, about 20-30 minutes. Serve immediately or transfer to a lidded container and store in the freezer.

Tip:
I like it best when it's not frozen solid. So I usually give it a minute in the microwave and then a quick stir before serving it.
If you'd prefer not to have bits of orange zest in your sherbet, simply use a hand blender to puree all the orange bits or whir the whole mixture up in a food processor or blender before chilling and freezing.

Fresh Lemon Sorbet

Now that the weather is getting warmer and summer is upon us, I think it's time for a refreshing frozen taste treat. Don't you agree?
 If you've never had sorbet, it's sort of like water ice, only smoother. It's like a more gourmet version of water ice. Oh, and I must say, just for the record, sorbet is not the same as sherbet. Yes, I know some people use those two words interchangeably, but it's just not so. Even though the word "sherbet" is derived from the word "sorbet", a sherbet is usually creamy in texture because of the addition of, well yes, you guessed it, cream! So now you know. I'm really glad we cleared that up. Aren't you?
 Anyway, give this a try, and serve it as a refreshing treat on a hot day. Also, a small scoop would be the perfect thing to cleanse one's palate between courses of your next elegant dinner.
Love it!

2 cups water
1 cup sugar
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp freshly grated lemon zest

Bring the water and sugar to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat, and place in the fridge. Once it's chilled, combine the syrup with the lemon juice and zest and pour into the bowl of an ice cream machine. Freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions. After the sorbet is made, transfer to an airtight container. Cover tightly and freeze until ready to serve.

Tip:
-For an easy variation, simply substitute orange or lime juice and zest in place of the lemon. I must say, I'm particularly fond of the orange variation. You won't believe how refreshing it is!! It's like eating a frozen orange. SO yummy!
 -Before you pour the chilled mixture into your ice cream maker, give it a quick taste to see if it suits you. Everyone has a different idea of what is too sweet or too tart. Especially when using lemon or lime, you don't want it to taste like lemonade concentrate. You know, like the kind you add to a pitcher of water?
-I use a Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker. It couldn't be easier to use. You just leave the canister in the freezer until you're ready to use it. Then you just pour in the chilled ingredients and turn it on. In a matter of 30 minutes, you have sorbet! How easy is that? If you have the means, I HIGHLY recommend picking one up!