A Trio of Sorbets
A Trio of Sorbets
I remember making melon balls for fruit salad, when I was a kid. My mom showed me how. It always seemed like a special occasion when we made them. I will admit, I haven’t made melon balls in a long time, but I still like the way they look.
I used melon balls at the inspiration for this dish. Funny thing is- there isn’t any melon in them. I made three different sorbets- strawberry, mango and kiwi. Each one is meant to resemble a different melon. They can be served alone and make a light, wonderful dessert. You can add a scoop of ice cream or whipped cream, if you like. You can also add some to a glass of lemonade or a summer cocktail, just for fun.
This dessert is easy to make and a nice alternative to ice cream. Don’t get me wrong, I love ice cream, but sometimes I want something lighter. Nice for those who are lactose intolerant, too.
Strawberry Vanilla Sorbet
2 c. fresh or frozen strawberries (allow frozen berries to thaw a little first)
1/4 c. sugar, or to taste
3 T. fresh lemon juice
1 t. vanilla
Place ingredients in food processor and process until smooth. Place in shallow pan and freeze. If you are using frozen berries re-freezing will take only about 1 hour. Up to 30 minutes before serving remove sorbet from freezer and allow to soften enough to break into chunks. Place in processor and blend again until very smooth. Return to freezer until needed.
Mango Honey Ginger Sorbet
2-3 large, ripe mangoes, seed and peeled
1/4 c. honey, or to taste
2-3 t. fresh grated ginger
Place ingredients in food processor and process until smooth. Place in shallow pan and freeze. Up to 30 minutes before serving remove sorbet from freezer and allow to soften enough to break into chunks. Place in processor and blend again until very smooth. Return to freezer until needed. For an even smoother sorbet, you can blend it another time.
Kiwi Lime Sorbet
6 kiwi, peeled
juice of 1 lime
1/4 c. sugar, or to taste
Place ingredients in food processor and process until smooth. Place in shallow pan and freeze. Up to 30 minutes before serving remove sorbet from freezer and allow to soften enough to break into chunks. Place in processor and blend again until very smooth. Return to freezer until needed.
To serve the sorbets, use a cookie scoop to make the “melon” balls. I made them as I was serving them, but you can also make the balls and return them to the freezer until ready to serve.
Mango Salsa
Mango Salsa
For as much as I love mangoes I don’t cook with them that much. Usually I just eat them fresh. I had several ripe mangoes and decided I wanted to do something more with them. Since we’ve been grilling more lately I went with this mango salsa. Like any salsa you can enjoy it with chips, but I love it as a topper for grilled meats, especially poultry or pork. Really good on grilled duck breast. I have also added it to cold rice for a mango salsa rice salad.
Mango Salsa
2 ripe mangoes, peeled, pitted and diced
1/2 c. minced sweet onion
1/2 c, minced sweet pepper
2-3 T. chopped fresh cilantro
1 T. hot sauce, or to taste
zest and juice from 1 lime
salt and pepper to taste, don’t be afraid to give this dish a good bit of salt
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir until mixed. Check seasonings. Chill for at least 30 minutes and taste again- you will likely add more seasoning. Serve over grilled meats or with chips.
Duck with Mango/Mandarin/Ginger Sauce
Duck with Mango/Mandarin/Ginger Sauce
In a recent dinner with friends we cooked up a couple of ducks. Using ingredients I had on hand I made a glaze for one of them with a fresh mango, some fresh mandarin oranges and ginger. It had a great mix of flavors that complimented the duck quite well. Here is the recipe for the sauce.
Mango/Mandarin/Ginger Sauce
oil
1 large onion, diced
1 large mango, peeled, pitted and chopped
5 mandarin oranges, peeled and separated into segments
2/3 c. orange juice
1/4 c. apple cider vinegar
2 T. hoisen sauce
1 T. lemon juice
2 t. grated fresh ginger
1 t. sesame oil
salt to taste
In large skillet brown onion in oil. Add remaining ingredients, except sesame oil and salt, and cook until mixture is thickened and bubbly. Add sesame oil and salt to taste. Use as a sauce on duck, poultry or pork.
The Duck
1 duck
salt and pepper to taste
1 recipe mango/mandarin/ginger sauce
I cut off the extra fat and skin from the neck of the duck to save for rendering later. I also removed the wings and set aside for another use. I then cut the duck in half and placed it in a roasting pan on a rack. Season it with salt and pepper. Bake in a 425 degree oven for half an hour. Turn down heat to 350 and cook until duck is done. That will take about an hour- depending on the size of the duck. At this point I had to come up with a plan B. The oven I was using stopped working. To finish off the duck I heated up a large skillet and put the duck in the skillet, skin side up. I poured the mango sauce over the duck and cooked it with the lid on for 15 minutes. Then I took the lid off and turned the duck skin side down. On medium high heat I allowed the sauce to reduce. It also caramelized on the skin making a nice glaze. If the oven hadn’t stopped working I would have finished off the duck under the broiler.
