Meyer Lemon Granita

Posted August 2, 2014

Filed under dessert, ice-cream. sorbet, Recipe with Demarle Cookware, stainless steel cookware, What's Up in Cecile's Kitchen

Meyer lemon is my top favorite fruit. It is hard to explain what a Meyer lemon is, other that it has an exceptional taste. If I can describe it, it smells and tastes a bit like a mix of lemon and mandarin: tangy, subtle …yummy!!!

I am not fan of lemon, but love, love, love Meyer lemon. The problem is that they are very very seasonal and it can be difficult to find them. In fact, in our little town, only one grocery store carry them.

So no need to say that when they arrive on the stand, I purchase them … sometimes not even knowing what I am going to do with them.

Well, this time around I bought a few dozens and decided to make a lemon granita. I could have made sorbets but was too lazy to take out my ice cream machine.

For some of you who do no know what is the difference between a sorbet and a granita.

Here is the explanation:

A granita is a semi-frozen dessert made from sugar, water and various flavorings – no dairy is involved. Basic granita begins with a boiled sugar syrup which is added into a fruit juice. The granita is then placed in the freezer in a shallow pan and scraped occasionally with a fork which produces a course texture.

A sorbet, on the other hand, is a frozen dessert made from sugar, water and fruit juice or fruit puree, sometimes chocolate, and sometimes wine, and/or liqueur.* Sorbet also has no dairy ingredients, but is frozen in an ice cream freezer for a smoother texture .

So depending which freezing process you will be using,, you will end up with a granita or a sorbet. Whichever, it is delicious.

Ingredients for 4 cups of Meyer Lemon Sorbet or Granita.

2 cups of Meyer Lemon Juice ( which comes from about 11 lemons)
1 cup of water
1 cup of sugar
1 tbsp of Meyer Lemon zest

In a small saucepan, cook the water and the sugar to make a syrup.
Meanwhile zest about 2 lemons to get the zest that you need. Set aside.
Also juice all the lemons so that you will have about 2 cups of fresh juice.
Add the lemon juice and the zest to the syrup and mix well.
Either use an ice-cream maker to make the sorbet according to the machine , or fill a container with the mixture and place the container into the freezer so that it will freeze.
If you are making a granita, place the container in the freezer for several hours ( 5 hours at least).
With the spoon, scrape the frozen mixture. You will be making the granita.
Serve as a dessert, or in between meals to help with cleansing, and digestion.
Easy, Yummy and delicious:-)

Bon Appetit and Happy Cooking!!!

Meyer Lemon Granita

Servings: 2-4
Time: 12 hours
Difficulty: Super Easy
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Ingredients for 4 cups of Meyer Lemon Granita.

2 cups of Meyer Lemon Juice ( which comes from about 11 lemons)
1 cup of water
1 cup of sugar
1 tbsp of Meyer Lemon zest

In a small saucepan, cook the water and the sugar to make a syrup.
Meanwhile zest about 2 lemons to get the zest that you need. Set aside.
Also juice all the lemons so that you will have about 2 cups of fresh juice.
Add the lemon juice and the zest to the syrup and mix well.
Either use an ice-cream maker to make the sorbet according to the machine , or fill a container with the mixture and place the container into the freezer so that it will freeze.
If you are making a granita, place the container in the freezer for several hours ( 5 hours at least).
With the spoon, scrape the frozen mixture. You will be making the granita.
Serve as a dessert, or in between meals to help with cleansing, and digestion. Eh voila, Easy, Yummy and delicious!!!

Bon Appetit and Happy Cooking!!!

Coconut Ice-Cream

Posted June 11, 2013

Filed under dessert, ice-cream. sorbet, What's Up in Cecile's Kitchen

Yesterday, out of curiosity and out of nostalgia, I bought a fresh coconut. Though I was not certain what to do with it, I searched the net and found out that you can make coconut milk and coconut flakes. I made both and was so proud of myself. I never knew that I would have been able to make such fancy things;-))))

So I was left with a cup or so of coconut milk and decided to make ice-cream with it, or sorbet. Of course that cup of coconut milk was not going to make a lot so I added more coconut milk from a can.

Ice-cream has usually a cream and a custard base, but this ice-cream really has nothing besides coconut milk and sugar.

Ingredients for 4:

2 1/2 cup of coconut milk
3/4 cup of sugar, honey or agave ( I used agave syrup).

In a large bowl, mix the coconut milk and the sugar.
if you have an ice-cream churn, turn it on and pour the mixture in it. Let the ice-cream churn do its magic and within 20 minutes you will have some yummy ice-cream.
It will be still very soft so place this soft ice-cream into a container and freeze for 1 hour.

If you do not have an ice-cream churn, simply pour the mixture into a container and place this container in the freezer.
Every 30 minutes, take the container out and with a fork mix the mixture to fluff it up. Repeat this step until the ice-cream is getting thick and the consistency of your liking.
C’est tout!!!

Bon Appetit and Happy Cooking!!!

Meyer Lemon Mousse

Posted May 24, 2013

Filed under dessert, fruit, ice-cream. sorbet, Mousses, What's Up in Cecile's Kitchen

My mom did not really like Chocolate. I never really understood why growing up as I was a chocolate aficionado. Nothing could be better than chocolate then. Today, my world is changing. Though I still enjoy chocolate, I am much difficult with the kind of chocolate I will eat – preferably dark, 60% cocoa and from Europe…. Yeah I know…

These days however I am more tempted by citrus desserts and citrus mousse. When I saw this recipe on the net last week, it made me think of one of my mom’s favorite: Citron Glace so I had to try it. I made a few adjustments. The recipe was inspired from the Martha Stewart’s website.

Ingredients for 3 lemons:

4 Meyer Lemon ( 3 for the shell, and one for the zest)
1/4 cup of Myer Lemon Juice
1 egg separated
1/3 cup of sugar
2 tbsp of butter
1/4 cup of heavy cream
1 tbsp of sugar for the egg whites
1 pinch of salt

Using a very sharp knife, trim the tip end of each lemon so that they can sit straight. Cut the top of the lemon about 1/4 of an inch from the top. Repeat those steps with all 3 lemons.
With a spoon, carefully dig into the lemon and scoop the flesh out but being careful not to tear the lemon. Wrap the lemons in plastic wrap and refrigerate them so they will not dry out.
PLace the flesh into a container and squeeze the juice out of it by squeezing the flesh through a a fine sieve. Keep only 1/4 cup of the juice for this dessert, and refrigerate the rest for some other usage.
Place the 1/4 cup of lemon juice, the egg yolk and the sugar into a small saucepan and cook until the mixture thickens. Set aside.
When the mixture is thick, let it cool completely, then add the butter and mix. Stir in the zest. Cover the mixture with a plastic wrap and seal it well so that a ” skin” will not form.
PLace the heavy cream in a mixer and whip the cream until it forms hard peaks. Remove the whipped cream from the mixer and refrigerate.
Clean the mixer, add the egg and beat the egg whites with 1 pinch of salt and 1 tbsp of sugar to form glossy peaks.
Remove the lemon curd and the whipped cream from the fridge and fold the whipped cream slowly into the curd.
Fold the egg whites into this mixture.
Fill a pastry bag with this mixture, and fill the lemon shells with this mixture.
Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. I personnally froze mine.
Make sure to take the lemons out at least before 30 minutes before eating them. The mousse will be slightly frozen. But i kind of like to eat them that way:-)

Your turn to give it a try and tell me how you like them;-)

Bon Appetit and Happy Cooking!!!

Mango, Raspberry and Coconut Sorbet Star

Posted January 13, 2013

Filed under Fleximolds, fruit, ice-cream. sorbet, Recipe with Demarle Cookware, What's Up in Cecile's Kitchen

On Christmas eve, I am always in charge of desserts. This year I made a chocolate Buche de Noel, but I also brought a mango, raspberry and coconut ice-cream cake. It is yummy, refreshing and it is light to your stomach. You can make your own sorbets. I usually do, but this year I ran out of time so I just bought good quality sorbets.

This is a very quick dessert to make, but because you are softening the ice-cream, make sure to do the day before or to provide enough time for the ice-cream to freeze back.

I used those 3 flavors because they are some of my favorite ice-cream, but of course you can duplicate this recipe with any flavors sorbets or ice-cream.

Ingredients for 8 individual star ice-cream cakes:

1 pint of mango sorbet ( I chose Talenti Gelato)
1 pint of raspberry sorbet
1 pint of coconut ice-cream

Ingredients for 1 star mold ice-cream cake (serves 8):

2 pint of mango sorbet ( I chose Talenti Gelato)
1 pint of raspberry sorbet
2 pint of coconut ice-cream

Let the ice-cream stand for 30 minutes at room temperature or use the soften option of your microwave.
First soften the raspberry sorbet, and scoop a big tablespoon of the sorbet in each opening of the star mold.
Place the mold into the freezer for 30 minutes.
Soften the mango sorbet and scoop the ice-cream on top the raspberry sorbet. Place the tray back into the freezer for another 30 minutes.
Repeat step 4 for the coconut ice-cream. The
Then place the tray in the freezer for at least 4 hours.

Serve as it is, or decorate the plate with various syrup and fruit. Be quick because the ice-cream or sorbet softens very very quickly.

Bon Appetit and Happy Cooking!!!

Lemon And Mascarpone Mousse: So YUMMY!!!

Posted July 25, 2012

Filed under Creams and Puddings, dessert, Fleximolds, fruit, ice-cream. sorbet, Mousses, Recipe with Demarle Cookware, What's Up in Cecile's Kitchen

Whoah.. Can you believe this heat??? Well I don’t know about you , but I am not going out much these days. I am staying cool in the comfort of my air-conditionned house. Luckily this heat has also put a damper on my appetite. The good part is that it has allowed me to quickly get rid of the few pounds I gained in Europe this summer. And I have been craving to eat lots of fresh fruits and lots of “sweets” with citrus. At first I thought of making a lemon pie but I wanted to eat something a bit lighter so I settled for lemon and mascarpone mousse that I found in Les verrines du Chef des Editions Marabout.

Serving for 6 large verrines, 20 shot glasses, or 12 fleximold cupcake size:

For the lemon mousse: 2 oz of butter, 4 oz of sugar, 3/4 tsp of gelatin powder, the zest of one lemon, 3 whole eggs, 1/3 cup of lemon juice.

Melt the butter in a little saucepan, then add the lemon juice, the zest, and the eggs and the sugar that you would have previously mixed together. Keep stirring until the mixture almost comes to boiling.

When you are starting to see small bubbles forming at the top, remove the saucepan from the stove and whip energically. Then add the gelatin and mix well. Empty the cream into a bowl. Cover the cream with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to cool. The cream should be thick and glossy.

For the Mousse: 1/2 a container of mascarpone cream cheese at room temperature, 1/3 cup of heavy cream, 1 1/2 tbsp of powder sugar.

Place the cream in a large bowl and beat until the cream is thickening but does not form hard peak. It should look like a soft whipped cream. Set aside. In another bowl, beat the mascarpone a bit to whip it up. Add a few dollops of the whipped cream into the mascarpone and stir softly by folding the cream into the mascarpone. Add the rest of the cream and stir it in gently again.

In a shot glass, a glass or a fleximold, pour the lemon cream first, then the mascarpone mousse and then the lemon cream again. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.

To add more effects to your dessert, you can also use a fleximold. I used the Charlotte tray. I layered the cream as I explained above and then I placed the fleximold into the freezer for 12 hours. To serve, unmold the dessert on a plate and eat it as such ( frozen) or, let it thaw out for 1 hour if you want to be it like a mousse. Decorate with lemon slices and lemon zest. Et voila!!!

Bon Appetit and Happy Cooking!!!

Mango Sorbet with Crystalised Ginger

Posted September 5, 2011

Filed under dessert, ice-cream. sorbet, What's Up in Cecile's Kitchen

What did you do this week-end? I bet most of you went out of that town to enjoy those last summer days…Me, I stayed home, worked on all the things that needed attention around the house, and cooked. There were so many things that I had wanted to bake and prepare that it was nice to have the time to stay home, and play around in my kitchen. One problem… all the things I prepared, or most of them were not anything my family wanted to eat…. Oops…Today for example, I fixed that mango sorbet I have been meaning to prepare for the past days. I love mango, and wanted to eat a sorbet because it is a light dessert, and almost good for you;-) unlike all those desserts I have been presenting.

Ingredients: 3 ripe mangos, cut and chopped, 1/3 cup of flavored rum ( i used vanilla), 1/3 cup of sugar, the juice of one lime, 2 tbsp of crystalized ginger.

In a blender, place all the ingredients except the ginger and chop until you have a very very smooth puree. Place the puree in a ice cream freezer, and stir until the ice cream is freezing ( about 20 minutes). Remove the ice-cream from the ice cream maker, and add the ginger. Stir. Place the ice-cream in the freezer for 1-2 hours to harden the ice-cream.

To serve, scoop 2 scoops of mango ice-cream in martini glasses, or in wine tumblers, and decorate as you wish.

Bon Appetit and Happy Cooking!!!