Welcome to the adventures of a Culinary explorer...

Welcome to the adventures of a Culinary explorer...

Monday, November 9, 2009

Let It Snow... in Florida

Ever wondered how snow tasted? Cool crystals melting on tongues, giving winter just the right flavor. So what if it doesn’t snow in our Sunshine state, we can eat blizzards of snow even in the Sahara, with a help from a refrigerator.
Here is a recipe by David Lebovitz from his book The Perfect Scoop, which combines freezing temperatures with a tropical coconut twist.

Quick Coconut Ice Cream with Saffron

2/3 cup (160 ml) heavy cream
1 cup (250 ml) coconut milk
2 ounces (60 g) palm sugar, or 1/4 cup white or unrefined cane sugar
scant 1/2 teaspoon saffron threads

1. In a medium-sized saucepan, bring all the ingredients to a boil.
2. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for ten minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, and chill the mixture thoroughly.
3. Once chilled, freeze in your ice cream maker. Once churned, be sure to scrape any saffron threads clinging to the dasher back in to the ice cream.

Review from The Skillet: The combination of saffron and coconut milk not only tasted delectable, the red and white colors added a dash of holiday cheer. And those who are afraid of trying saffron in their ice cream, note that saffron is a topping delicacy, originally only used in foods prepared for kings as a symbol of royalty and delicate flavor. I love saffron on my custard too, the French use the ingredient in many of their desserts.
Try adding dry-fruit to the ice-cream if you enjoy crunch like me. Pistachios were my pick, but their flavor was too strong against the coconut. (Although pistachios in vanilla ice-cream work really well.) Cashews would enhance taste, or even shreds of coconut before serving.
Serve three little scoops topped on one another and surprise your guests with a coconut snowman dessert.
And trust me, snow doesn’t even taste this good.

Not an ice-cream person? A holiday slushy punch should ice up the day.

Florida Fun Slushy Punch

Country Time lemonade (12 scoops of canned mix with water as per directions on can)
1 lg. can pineapple juice
1 lg. frozen orange juice with water as per can directions
2-3 c. sugar

Mix all together until sugar is dissolved, and store in a large container. (Don't use glass jars, the mix can be a pain to get out.) Put in freezer, and stir occasionally while it is freezing, to keep juices from settling. After about 8 to 10 hours, serve after crushing any big chunks of ice.
Some advice: To decorate, slice some fresh pineapple, or separate orange slices, cut half-way through the middle and place on the glass line.

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