My BIL and SIL are coming to visit today and they're vegan, so I always try to pull out my vegan skills and brush them off before they arrive. Dinner tonight is going to be various breads and crackers with a big green salad, hummus, and sliced grilled and raw veggies. I forgot to buy tofu, but if they bring some as vaguely requested, we'll have some pan fried tofu (dredged first in a combination of flour and nutritional yeast).
But my big experiment today is the dessert. My SIL, last I knew, was trying to avoid most processed sugars. I like to provide dessert, though, so I started thinking last night about something I could make from ingredients in the house. I settled on a sorbet. Or ice cream. Or sherbert. Something in that family, anyway.
Last night, I combined 6 ounces of slivered raw almonds and a cup or so of water in my blender and let fly. The resulting slurry went in the fridge overnight. This morning, I added a little more water and blended it a little more before passing the slurry through a sieve to make a thick almond milk. Very delicious! I had about a cup and combined that with a pound of frozen berries and cherries with just two tablespoons of sugar.
At that point, I tasted it. A little flat. I added a pinch of salt and a generous sprinkle of coriander, having learned before that coriander goes beautifully with berries. Better, but I probably should have added a squeeze of lemon juice, too.
And now ... it's in the freezer and I'm whisking it every fifteen minutes or so to keep out the big ice crystals. With any luck, it will be just the right thing for after dinner!
It's late. We've eaten all the ice cream and I forgot to take a picture. It was well received by all except LittleGirl, who did not think the bright purple stuff was sufficiently ice cream like. BIL poured maple syrup over his to satisfy his sweet tooth. I had a little on mine to perk up the flavor.
Next time: more almond milk, less fruit.
But my big experiment today is the dessert. My SIL, last I knew, was trying to avoid most processed sugars. I like to provide dessert, though, so I started thinking last night about something I could make from ingredients in the house. I settled on a sorbet. Or ice cream. Or sherbert. Something in that family, anyway.
Last night, I combined 6 ounces of slivered raw almonds and a cup or so of water in my blender and let fly. The resulting slurry went in the fridge overnight. This morning, I added a little more water and blended it a little more before passing the slurry through a sieve to make a thick almond milk. Very delicious! I had about a cup and combined that with a pound of frozen berries and cherries with just two tablespoons of sugar.
At that point, I tasted it. A little flat. I added a pinch of salt and a generous sprinkle of coriander, having learned before that coriander goes beautifully with berries. Better, but I probably should have added a squeeze of lemon juice, too.
And now ... it's in the freezer and I'm whisking it every fifteen minutes or so to keep out the big ice crystals. With any luck, it will be just the right thing for after dinner!
It's late. We've eaten all the ice cream and I forgot to take a picture. It was well received by all except LittleGirl, who did not think the bright purple stuff was sufficiently ice cream like. BIL poured maple syrup over his to satisfy his sweet tooth. I had a little on mine to perk up the flavor.
Next time: more almond milk, less fruit.
The homemade jam looks delicous and must have been a perfect match for this tart:)
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