One thing that's not synonymous with Germany is air conditioning. It's believed most homes do not have A/C because the summers here are generally not really hot; or at least it doesn't stay hot for long. I've been here for 6 summers, and yes, it gets hot, but then there are periods where it's cloudy and not very hot- which is perfectly fine with me! Our 4 story row house has no A/C and it's been incredibly hot and humid for nearly 2 weeks now. I remember this winter everyone hoping for heat and sun, and all I have to say is: I hope you all are happy!!! Haha. I like summer, but it's miserable in my house, and I do not want the kiddos out too long in this blistering heat, but shit it's bad enough in our house, so we're screwed :)
But there is a great dish that keeps ya cool while cleansing the palate- Sorbet. Growing up, we didn't eat it. I never heard of it until I got older. We did go to the local sno-cone shops and I always looked forward to that! Here in Germany, there are not sno-cone shops, but there are incredibly awesome Eis (ice cream) shops that are satisfying. But when it's hot, eating dairy ice cream will only make you feel groggy, heavy and sick. So, I have the perfect solution! While reading through some cookbooks, I came across a recipe for Watermelon Sorbet. I love watermelon so I gave it a shot. It was very tasty, so for the hubby's birthday, I made a lemon version. AWESOME. And sooooo easy. You can use any fruit and you can even use wine or beer if that's how ya roll. And it makes you feel sooooooo cool and happy. Much lighter than eating ice cream. Give it a shot!!
You can add liqueurs or juice from other fruits. The variations are endless. Have fun experimenting!!!
Watermelon Sorbet (adapted from Martha Stewart)
Ingredients
3 cups of watermelon; seeds removed
3/4 cup of water
3/4 cup of sugar
Directions
- Place sugar and 3/4 cup water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. When sugar has dissolved, remove pan from heat, and stir in creme de menthe, if using. Chill the syrup.
- Remove seeds from watermelon flesh. Place flesh in the bowl of a food processor; process until liquefied, about 2 minutes. Add puree to chilled syrup; stir to combine.
- Freeze sorbet in an ice-cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. Store, frozen, in an airtight container.
Ingredients
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar
1-1/2 cups of water
zest of one lemon
Heat zest, water, and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then turn heat down and allow to simmer for 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat, then allow to cool.
Once cooled, add lemon juice then chill in the fridge. Once chilled, add to ice cream maker. Store, frozen, in an airtight container.
Note: if you do not have an ice cream maker, store in a freezer safe container, then stir every hour with a fork. once frozen, stir once again, then you're done. Hope you give this a shot. And ice cream makers are generally inexpensive!
I hear you on the no AC thing. It's been also hot here for the past few weeks but without the humidity (thank goodness). We have a 3 story Doppelhaushälfte and the computer is in the Dachboden. Let me tell you that I sweat everytime I come up here for a few minutes to check for emails or recipes ... let alone blogging. We've been staying in the living room most of the time and go outside for short periods of time in the morning and evenings. In the meantime, I just close the curtains in the living room and have the fan going. I really miss having AC but it's too darn expensive in bills. I'll suck it up for a few months. hehehe
ReplyDeleteI love your sherbets!! Definitely my favourite flavours. For the past three summers I've been debating about getting an ice cream making at Tchibo but then I always decide against it. This is definitely a great way for keeping cool during the summer months. Thanks for sharing the recipes!!!
Your first commenter's name is two letters different from mine! Ok, here's another Rosebelle's comment:
ReplyDeleteI've never made sorbet before but your recipe is so easy. It's cold in SF so instead of sorbet, we're eating warm hearty soups. When the temp goes up, hopefully, then I'll definitely will try your simple recipe.
I hope you two Rose/a's give it a try!! The Ice cream maker I have was only 20 bucks Rosabela! It's so worth it, I promise. Homemade ice cream using a good custard base is absolutely amazing. Ironically, I made ice cream a lot this past winter. My son helps, and now is addicted. I posted a recipe for that, too.
ReplyDeleteWe also camp in the living room with 2 fans going. Was a thunderstorm tonight, so it cooled down everywhere BUT the kitchen where I spent most of the evening cleaning and cooking!!
Rosebelle, I will be more than happy to share this heat with you!!! ;)