Ginger Wine Sorbet

From Ice Cream, Hilary Walden, Golden Press, 1985.

I poured 350ml of ginger wine into a bowl, then added the juice of half a lime and another 350ml water. I gave them a stir and then placed them into the freezer to reach the slushy stage.

When the mixture was ready I placed 2 egg whites into the KitchenAid and then began beating them at a low speed while I brought 200g sugar and 60ml water with half a teaspoon cream of tartar to the boil in a saucepan. When the sugar mix was boiling I let it boil for about 5 minutes while I turned the beater up to high to bring the egg whites to a firm stage. I now took the sugar mix off the heat and let it slowly run down the sides of the mixing bowl while the whisk kept turning.

Now I brought the slushy ginger wine mixture from the freezer, beat it a little and then folded the meringue into it. It didn’t mix together very well, leaving me with two layers in the bowl. It went back into the freezer for about 4 more hours. I mixed it again when it was set a little more and back into the freezer it went. It was not setting very well.

I left it over night and this time it had set a bit more, though not completely. I mixed it again—a bit better this time though it still was not firm.

Despite the fact that the mixture did not really set properly it was delicious. I think I could easily have another try at this to see if I can make it work.

Taste: ✔✔✔✔

Ease of cooking: ✔✔

Apple and Walnut Ice Cream

From Ice Cream, Hilary Walden, Golden Press, 1985.

Generally I don’t get into making desserts though sometimes I am hit with a sudden inclination to make one. This was one such occasion.

Two eating apples were peeled, cored and thinly sliced then put into a saucepan with 50g butter and 2 tablespoons of orange juice. They were cooked until soft when about 25g of caster sugar was added and the mixture stirred until pulped.

Two egg yolks were beaten and then added to the apple mixture and cooked on a very low heat until it had thickened a little. It was then left to cool.

A 300ml carton of cream was beaten until stiff and added to the cooled apples with 50g of chopped walnuts. It was then placed in the freezer until partly frozen. This took about 1½ hours.

Two egg whites were beaten until stiff. The half frozen mixture was taken from the freezer and tipped into a bowl and the egg whites folded in.

As you can tell from the publication date this book has sat sad and unused on the shelf. It felt like time to take it out and have another look at it. It’s a large size book, rather annoying as it doesn’t fit readily on the normal bookshelf. Nevertheless it’s packed with recipes for a huge variety of frozen desserts. The contents are arranged in alphabetical order so you move from a double page on Almonds and variations, through to Apple, on to Apricot and ending with Wines and Liqueurs. There are then sections on recipes for special occasions and creating desserts.

I’m afraid I couldn’t wait long enough to fully freeze and had to get into the ice cream before it was fully set. It still tasted reasonably good with some fruit salad, but I’ll have to wait until later to try it completely set.

There’s uncertainty here whether you could really call this ‘ice cream’ or ‘frozen fruit dessert’. It does seem more appropriate to call it the latter. Whatever, it’s still acceptable.

Taste: ✔✔✔

Ease of cooking: ✔✔✔