Pear sorbet

[redbird]

The ice cream maker is whirring away. This is another "kludge together recipes," in part because when I was looking the other day I found all these recipes that wanted canned pears, and today most of what I found wanted fresh.

1 small (15 ounce) can of pear halves in pear juice
1 cup sugar
2 cups water
1 lemon
a bit of ground cardamom

Mash the pears with a fork to break them up; stop when your shoulder starts to hurt. Meanwhile, bring the sugar and water to a boil, to approximate a simple syrup. Grate the lemon peel. Mix the pears and pear juice, using an electric mixer on the lowest setting, until the remaining lumps are few and small. When the water comes to a boil, turn the light way down. Mix in the lemon rind. Juice the lemon, and mix in the lemon juice. Add the quasi-syrup, try not to worry about thin it all looks, and mix some more. Toss in a half-spoonful of cardamom. Mix.

Pour the result into your ice cream maker. Notice that the cardamom all seems to have settled to the bottom of the mixing bowl, and try to pour it in anyhow (it's a bunch of dark gray specks).

Now, I will wait for it to finish whirring, then freeze it, and maybe run out for heavy cream so I can make lemon ice cream as well.

Later: The result is a bit lumpy, but tasty. I can't taste the cardamom, but I'm not sure if that's because I only used a little, or because it had gotten somewhat old. I think I'm going to try pear juice/"nectar" next time, though.

Comments

[papersky.livejournal.com]

Everything I've tried to do with actual pears has come out grainy, but I've had good results using apple/pear juice, like the apple/grape we usually have only pear instead.

[elissaann.livejournal.com]

Will trade Free Internet Friend Voice Lesson for freshly made ice cream. Just sayin'.

[redbird]

How does the week after next look for you? (My freelance project runs through next week.)

Given geography, that probably means either having the voice lesson up here, or me coming down, singing, and then bringing you uptown to eat ice cream. Or we can take a chance with a cooler bag.

[serenejournal.livejournal.com]

You may have answered this already, but which ice-cream maker are you using, and are you happy with it?

[redbird]

It's the Cuisinart ICE-50BC, "Supreme commercial quality ice cream maker," and yes I am. It's not cheap, and it uses a bunch of counter space--but relatively little freezer space.

[serenejournal.livejournal.com]

Some bizrate reviews say it's noisy -- are you having that problem?

[redbird]

It is noisy, but I'm finding it acceptable: I can start it while cattitude is napping and not wake him, and it doesn't seem to interfere with me doing research work, both in other rooms than the ice cream maker is in. I doubt I could fall asleep while it's running, but I wouldn't try, because I need to be awake to deal with it when it's done.