When it comes to creating my own recipes I often feel like a mad scientist in Goldilocks’ kitchen. Eventually dishes turn out “just right,” but getting there is an exercise in everything from funny face making to, on occasion, minor explosions.
Like that time, about a year ago, when I decided to make a sweet balsamic vinaigrette. I was tired of those watery concoctions that so often stock supermarket shelves, preferring a thicker, more versatile dressing that could be used beyond the salad bowl. I tested at least ten different recipes, then began to translate my preferences into a creation of my own. In the end I had a bottle of maple-brown dressing that turned an ordinary salad into the blissful combination of crisp leaves, crunchy vegetables and the sweet taste of a slightly acidic dressing flavored with caramelized onions, garlic and sugar. Chilled in the refrigerator, the dressing took on the thick texture of molasses, which was perfect for dribbling on top of savoury brie and crackers. Altogether the dressing was a hit - but getting to that point? Oh, the stories I could tell. For instance, when I poured the first version of the dressing into a bottle, sealed it, then proceeded to shake the emulsion to combine all the ingredients. Such a simple action, and yet, five seconds later the cap went rocketing across the room, while I was left standing there, mouth ajar, completely shocked and covered in salad dressing. The cabinets were covered too. And the counter. And my poor dog Oreo, who always watches me when I’m working in the kitchen. In a chemical reaction that I now recall with bemused chagrin, the force from shaking the bottle had caused gaseous pressure to build up, which eventually propelled the cap into the living room and produced the sticky scene mentioned above. Don’t let anyone ever tell you that cooking isn’t an adventure.
Much as I hate to deny you the enjoyment of an embarrassing story, I’m happy to report that nothing so exciting happened when I was playing around with the blueberry-peach sorbet recipe featured below. Variations included a blueberry-banana sorbet with banana liqueur (too banana-y), then a second variation sans liqueur (too hard), and then yet another version that used only blueberries as the main ingredient (too boring). Finally I hit upon this recipe, which combines the sweetness of blueberries and peaches with a hint of lime citrus. The result was, in my opinion, just right - with a soft, yet firm texture, and a gorgeous purple color.
This sorbet is easy to make though a bit tricky on the sugar front since the sweetness of berries can vary from batch to batch. Hence, when I made it the first time I used two tablespoons more sugar than when I made it the second time. If you try this recipe the best way to determine flavor is to taste the sorbet mixture right after the berries and syrup have been pureed in your blender. If it is not sweet enough, add 1 teaspoon more sugar, blend, then taste again, repeating this process until the mixture tastes right to you. If it is too sweet, you can add lime juice by the teaspoon, mixing and tasting between additions. The citrus will cut some of the sweetness, while the egg white added near the end of the churning time will help maintain a soft sorbet texture during storage in your freezer.
You may notice that one of the ingredients in this recipe is TrueBlue blueberry juice, which has been making the blog rounds for the past several weeks. About two months ago TrueBlue generously asked if I would like to try some of their product and, being a blueberry lover, I said sure, I’d love to. I happily went about my daily routine, watching my mailbox for a medium-sized package - then one day UPS knocked on my door, and I opened it to find two men wielding a ginormous box with about 30 lbs of blueberry juice inside. Good lord! I thought, what am I going to do with all this juice? Over the next week my husband and I drank at least two bottles of TrueBlue, enjoying its refreshing combination of blueberry and grape juices. Then I began to toy with recipe ideas because, let’s be honest, how else were two people going to work through so much juice? One of the results of this experimentation was the blueberry-peach sorbet pictured above. I also used TrueBlue to make chocolate cupcakes that my 5th grade students described as “sooooo gooood” (their “o’s” not mine) and which earned me the delightful, if bribed, title of “best teacher ever.” With the school year quickly coming to a close I’m planning a party for them where the chocolate cupcakes will make another appearance. And yes, I am totally fishing for another “best teacher ever” compliment.
Tangentially, I wanted to share some good news with you before getting to the recipe. I got a job! In a twist of luck and happenstance Hazon has hired me to work on their food programs during the summer, one aspect of which happens to be a food blog called “The Jew and the Carrot.” I never thought I would find a job that combined my two passions - food and Judaism - into one position, but I did, and I start next Monday. Yay! Over the next few weeks I’ll begin blogging over at “The Jew and the Carrot” in addition to here on “Baking and Books.” Also, “The Jew and the Carrot” is up for a “Best Food Blog” award and a “Best New Blog” award in the Jewish & Israeli Blog Awards so if you have a spare moment and want to help us out, please visit the awards site here and vote for it. Voting is open until Wednesday May 16th at 5:00pm.
That’s it for now, have a great day everyone! Oreo and I are heading out for a long walk and a stop by her favorite pet store for a new toy. 
Blueberry-Peach Sorbet (My Recipe)
Many thanks to TrueBlue for giving me the opportunity to try their blueberry juice.
Ingredients:
- 1/3 cup water, preferably spring or filtered
- 1/3 cup TrueBlue blueberry juice
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar (plus more later if you want to adjust the sweetness)
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/8 cup fresh lime juice
- 20 oz blueberries, you can use either fresh or frozen berries.
- 8 1/2 oz peach slices, either from fresh peaches or from a can. If you use canned peach slices drain the syrup.
- 1 egg white
- A few drops of red food coloring (optional)
In a medium saucepan combine the sugar, TrueBlue, sugar and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the sugar and salt have dissolved and the liquid is translucent, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool for ten minutes or until room temperature.
In a blender combine the blueberries, peach slices, lime juice and syrup. If you are using food coloring, now is when to add it. Blend until completely smooth (there will be grains of blueberry skin, that’s OK), then taste the mixture. If it is not sweet enough add 1 teaspoon of sugar, then blend and taste again, repeating until the mixture tastes the way you want it to. If it is too sweet, add 1 teaspoon of lime juice, then blend and taste until you are happy with the flavor.
Pour into an airtight container and chill in the refrigerator for 4 hours or up to 1 day. Freeze in your ice cream maker according to manufacturer instructions, ideally no longer than 20 minutes. Add 1 egg white to the sorbet during the last 3 minutes of churning. Transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze for at least 2 hours before serving. The sorbet will keep for three to four days.
Note: To make my ice creams and sorbets I use a Cuisinart Ice Cream, Frozen Yogurt, and Sorbet Maker.
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This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 15th, 2007 by Ariela and is filed under Desserts, Frozen Desserts, Fruits, My Recipes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
60 Comments.
That looks so yum! I’ve had a Cuisinart Ice Cream machine on my “list” for some time now. I just love sorbet.
Congrats on the new job!
That is a beautiful colour! I’ve been playing with some TrueBlue juice lately too.
sounds wonderful …. I sure will try it with my sorbetiere ASAP … as soon as I am back from my one week trip, I am still packing ..but I needed a little break …and what better entertainment than visiting you
????
félicitations for the job !!!!!
Congratulations to you! I can’t wait to read your new food adventures at the new blog. Will you continue to post here?
That looks delicious! As much as I don’t want to (and probably won’t!), I keep seeing things that make me think I need to get an ice cream maker. Congrats on the job.
balsamic vinegrette story aside, this post is just so full of wonderful things! congrats on the job- i’m so glad you could combine your two passions, it sounds wonderful. and its so cool that you were given a TrueBlue to try out… for free! awesome. and of course the sorbet looks great. i guess the end of the school year is really being good to you
Congrats on the job!! That’s awesome!!!
That sounds lovely and refreshing, and what a fabulous colour too! Congratualtions on your job, hope it’s all you hope
Woohoo, yay for steady employment opportunities that allow us to keep on playing in the kitchen
Congratulations (on the job and the beautiful looking sorbet, hehe)!
I tried your challah recipe (used leftover coconut water in mixture) with chocolate “sans abricots.” It was great but recipe had/has no salt? How much might I add?
Congratulations, Ari!!!
Ari,
Congrats on the job! I’ll definitely be checking out the Jew and the Carrot.
I love sorbets and the one you have here looks great. The colour is amazing. Thanks for all the hard work of testing recipes.
That’s the best way to use up the blueberries, in my opinion!
I love the vinaigrette story, I can almost see your shocked face with dressing dripping down from it. Your poor thing, im sorry, its just pretty funny. hehe
Love the sorbet! Color beautiful, must taste great.
Congrats on the job!!
Congrats Ari! That’s great. And now I have a new blog to check out as well :). Good luck.
Wou!!!!!!! Congratulations !!!
I love your news recipe with bluberry, it’s just beautiful
Ha ha, your story made me laugh ;-P! Such things happened and still happen to all of us…
Your recipe sounds good. That sorbet seems to be terrific!
How lucky you are! Congratulations and good luck with your job…
The color is stunning, Ari! And what a smart move to put peaches, blueberries and lime together - my mouth is watering!
Your “adventures” are funny, now. Not so much when you have to clean them up.
THIRTY pounds of juice? You are going to be so healthy.
Congrats on the job.
That is the most beautiful color I have ever seen. I actually gasped when I opened your blog.
Congratulations on the job. I love the title of the blog.
Ari, that is one gorgeous color. Congratulations on your new job. I recently made your banana bundt cake with a few adjustments. It was quite delicious. Thank you for the recipe.
Congratulations on the job!! How exciting to find something so suited to your passions!
Congrats on the job cool kid! Btw…for Balsamic, my pal Al boils down the store bought stuff…concentrating the flavors.
I wish you all the best, Ari. It’s wonderful to see good things happen to good and talented people like you!
congrats on the job! maybe you should just drink the blueberry juice straight! they’re good anyway right? as long as you guys don’t turn blue all of sudden though
Mmmmm I love sorbet. O the memories of gelato and sorbet in Italy. I love the colour, it’s so vibrant!!
what a stunning color! looks SO refreshing, drool. so funny, i was stalking trueblu online a few weeks back just out of curiosity but never ordered any. this is a great idea, i can just tell its delicious
har! I laughed out loud (scared my sleeping pooch) when reading about the dressing explosion.. so something I’d do. lol
Sorbet looks amazing!
And congratulations on the new job! Yay!!
xoxo
Beautiful sorbet. Thank you for sharing a great idea! Keep up the lovely posts.
Congrats on the job!
Outstanding color on the sorbet
Loved your story…
Curious about your ‘up next’ photo too. Can’t wait..but I guess I’ll have to right?
Your blog always reminds me that I need to make more time for cooking! *giggle* Congratulations on your new job.
Simply beautiful, that combination of flavours just left me speechless.
What a gorgeous color!! I love it Ari, I can just imagine enjoying this on a hot summer day.
And congrats on the job! I didn’t have time to comment yesterday but when I read your entry in the morning I went and voted for The Jew and the Carrot. Good luck!
Brilynn - Thanks! And I’m looking forward to seeing what emerges from your experiments with TrueBlue.
Babycakes - Well shucks, I’m touched that you visit even when you’re busy!
Steamy Kitchen - Yup, I’ll still be posting here. Baking and Books is my baby! Thanks for asking though, I hadn’t realized I gave the impression I wouldn’t be blogging here anymore. I modified the entry to make that more clear - I’m not going anywhere!
Claire - Why on earth don’t you want to get an ice cream maker? That’s madness I tell you, madness!
Connie - Yea I dunno, the end of the school year is really making me consider my thoughts about Karma. I was having crappy few weeks and then suddenly all these good things fell into my lap. But I won’t look a gift horse in the mouth, I’m just going to be thankful!
Susan - Thank you!
Welcome to the kitchen adventures club!
I just wish I had a teacher like you that will treat us on cup cakes. You would have been by far” the BEST teacher”
Congratulations on the new job Ari, I can imagine how excited you are. Well deserved.
Susan - Thanks! Yes, this job will certainly allow me to play in the kitchen all summer long. Wheee!
Judith - If you want to add salt to the recipe start with a teaspoon of kosher salt and see how you like it. Experimentation is what it’s all about!
Ivonne - Thanks!
Cynthia - You’re welcome, it’s my pleasure! And thanks for the congrats about my job, I’m very excited about it.
Christine - Hehe, it’s ok, I laugh about it too. Even when it happened I couldn’t help chuckling, especially when I saw how Oreo had salad dressing dripping down her face. Poor puppy! I gave her a bath immediately of course.
Tanna - Thank you!
Timi - Thank you mucho. And yes, check The Jew and the Carrot out, let me know what you think. Feedback is crucial and most welcome!
Rosa - Thank you and yes, the kitchen is full of adventures! I still haven’t told you all about the time I set a kitchen on fire, but sometime soon… I have that post and a delicious recipe on the “to do” list.
Patricia - Thanks! I wish I could give you a taste… do you think it would surive the trip to Brazil?
Nancy - I know, 30lbs! I don’t think I’ve ever had that much juice in my apartment, lol. But at least it’s good juice and something I will actually use. I think we’re down to 4 bottles now.
Cheryl - That is high praise indeed! Thank you for making me smile with your sweet comment. *hugs*
Mandira - I’m glad you enjoyed the banana bundt cake, though Dorie is the one who deserves the credit.
I’m looking forward to reading your entry just as soon as I work some more blog reading time into my schedule!
Andi - I know, I didn’t think jobs like this existed! It’s just for the summer but who knows, maybe something longer term will work out during the school year too.
Susan - Thank you. *hugs*
Eliza - Haha, you just reminded me of the girl who turned purple in the original Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory movie!
Lorraine - Oh yes, there is nothing like eating cool gelato on a sunny Italian afternoon. One of my favorite things to do when the hubby and I were in Florence.
Aria - Thanks! I was also stalking TrueBlue before they contacted me and I’m glad they did because I probably wouldn’t have bought it for fear it wouldn’t live up to it’s promise. It does though, and when we run out of our supply we’ll be buying more.
Christina - Thanks! I’ll do my best to keep things interesting around here.
Sophie - I’ll give you a hint: the Up Next photo is of a Turkish dish. I recently learned to make it and it has since become one of my favorite lunchtime meals.
I am so completely in love with this photo Ari, look at that color!
And that is so funny about the salad dressing, you crack me up girl.
Hi Ari! Congratulations on the new job! It’s wonderful when a dream job suddenly materializes. The sorbet looks great! I’ve been on an ice cream making kick and need to add sorbet to my culinary repertoire too. I’ll have to look for TrueBlue juice the next time I’m in the store. Thanks for letting us know about it.
The ice cream sounds fantastic and congrats on the new position! Good luck with that!
That color is incredible!!
Ari,
I just finished a wonderful “foodie” book and thought of you. “Death by Pad Thai” is fantastic and a quick read, I finished in the two days before one class ended and the other began.
[Link to book]
Molly
JenJen - Thank you very much. I’m happy you liked it.
Jennifer- Thanks! And thank you for voting!
Rose - Oh I’ve been in that club for a loooong time, I just hadn’t written about it, lol. I know you’re not one of my students but if you lived nearby I would totally bring you cupcakes. In exchange for calling me the best teacher ever that is - just kidding! No strings attached to the cupcakes.
Naomi - Thanks! I was happy with the way the photo turned out. The background is so light it almost looks like the sorbet is jumping off the page, which was completely unintentional. Glad I could make you laugh!
Anali - My pleasure, are you going to be posting more ice cream recipes soon? I remember seeing one a couple weeks back.
Freya - Thank you!
Andrew - I’m so glad you like it!
Molly - That is so nice of you to come share a book title with me, not to mention think of me in the first place. Thank you! I’ve added it to my reading list.
a hearty mazel tov on that dream job
so funny about all that blueberry juice! i can’t even begin to imagine 
great that you had the creativity to come up with these solutions 
*sobs hysterically* WHY do you torment me with this kind of supreme deliciousness that just cannot make? It’s a wonder that my drooling over your blog has yet led me to shorting out my computer!
This is such an awesome recipe! My girlfriend is going to go crazy for that color, purple is her favorite color.
PS. I’ve had TrueBlue before and it very good, but I never thought of doing anything other than drinking it, lol. This is why I love your blog Ari.
I love this post! I’m bookmarking it for the hot summer months ahead.
oh wow, it’s so vibrant!!!
That color is breathtaking! The recipe is absolutely mouth watering!
Good luck on the job, you are going to do great there!
Congratulations on your new job!
And that sorbet looks amazing…what color!!!
Yes Ari! I have another ice cream recipe that I’m planning to try and then post, but I’ve just been too busy!
Ellie - Oh Ellie, I’m sorry!! Why don’t you just splurge and buy an ice cream maker? If you use a 20% off coupon from Bed, Bath & Beyond it should be around $40.
Zach - I hope she likes it! And I’m blog you are enjoying this blog, I love hearing feedback like that.
Cynthia - Sorbet is definitely a great summer dessert!
Garrett -
Helen - Thank you!
Joey - Thank you! I’m glad you like the color too, behold the awesome power of berries (and a few drops of food coloring for extra oomph)!
Anali - Cool, I’m looking forward to seeing it.
And I know what you mean about being too busy, I wish I could blog all day but alas, real life gets in the way!
Hey Ari,Thanks a lot for visiting my page and I just loved ur photographs. You have a great eye for food photography. Looking at the pic itelf is a great treat
Shn
Great news about the new job! That is wonderful to hear!
Also, I am very impressed by your cooking ability, and this post reinforces my feelings. First, that icy creation looks and sounds amazing. Second, even though the balsamic vinegar didn’t end up in someone’s stomach, that you even made vinegar at all confirms that you are a rock star in the kitchen!
Yum. Experimenting is half the fun of cooking (eating it is the other half). I’ve been inspired to attempt putting together a “cookbook” of sorts using historical recipies. I see a lot of experimenting coming up!
ha..ha… I could just imagine your face when the 30 lbs of true blue juice arrived. Great recipe. I’m about to whip out my ice cream maker. Congrats on your new job!
The color of that sorbet is amazing. It looks fantastic!
Congrats on your new job. What a dream come true!
Passionate Eater - I didn’t make the vinegar I made a balsamic vinaigrette (which uses vinegar). But wow, I’m touched that you thought I made vinegar from scratch!
Sandy - Oooh, a cookbook of historical recipes, that sounds fabulous!
Veron - Thank you!
Kristen - Thanks!