winter sherbet and sorbetti.

I have become obsessed with making winter sorbets. It started with the pile of beautiful tropical fruits from Maggie at Flying Fox. We ate as much as we could and then the frugal New Englander in me took over and I set to work on a buttermilk, citrus and passion fruit sherbet. It was such a hit that I had to pry it out of Lula's hands just so I could photograph it! There was no singular flavor that took over, instead, hits of passion fruit and mixed citrus mingled with the sourness of the buttermilk perfectly. I think the addition of buttermilk is here to stay and perhaps sherbet will even make a comeback in our house! The next morning I made a wild ginger and lemon sorbet. I happened to have wild ginger but you can use regular ginger just as easily. It was both tart and a little spicy, like my favorite wintery drink, the ginger steamer. Today, with two pink grapefruits in hand and a desire for some brighter color, I set to work on a grapefruit-beet sorbet. I know this may sound a little strange but I added a beet for color and bit of flavor to the grapefruit juice and sugar mixture while heating. The beet added just the right amount of pink as well as a little earthiness.  

Pink Grapefruit Beet Sorbet

2 large juicy pink grapefruits

1 beet

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup of water

Juice the two grapefruits this should give you about two cups of grapefruit juice. (if you find you need more juice, then squeeze a couple more until you get two cups)

Peel the beet and cut in half and quarter.

In a large saucepan combine the grapefruit juice, the beet one 1/2 cup of water and 1/2 cup of sugar.

Heat on medium and bring to a boil for two minutes.

Remove from the heat and strain the juice into a separate bowl removing any pulp or seeds and beet parts.

Set the juice aside to cool.

When cool add to your ice cream maker and follow manufacturer's instructions.

Mixed Citrus and Buttermilk Sherbet

2 cups of mixed citrus juice

2 passion fruits

1/2 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup sugar

Juice the citrus until you get two liquid cups. Don't worry about seeds and pulp you will strain later.

(I used pink and white grapefruit, tangerines, honey oranges and lemons. You can use whatever citrus strikes you.)

Cut the passion fruits in halves and scrape the seeds into the juice mixture.

In a large saucepan combine the citrus and passion fruit mixture with 1/2 cup of buttermilk and 1/2 cup of sugar.

Heat on medium and bring to a boil for two minutes.

Remove from the heat and strain the juice into a separate bowl removing any pulp or seeds.

Set the juice aside to cool.

When cool add to your ice cream maker and follow manufacturer's instructions.

Wild Ginger and Lemon Sorbet

2 Cups lemon juice

1 inch piece if wild ginger or a 1 inch piece of ginger

1/2  cup water

1/2 cup of sugar

Juice the lemons until you get about two cups of juice. 

Coarsely chop the ginger or the wild ginger and add to the lemon juice.

In a large saucepan combine the lemon juice, the ginger, 1/2 cup of water and 1/2 cup of sugar.

Heat on medium and bring to a boil for two minutes.

Remove from the heat and strain the juice into a separate bowl removing any pulp or seeds or ginger.

Set the juice aside to cool.

When cool add to your ice cream maker and follow manufacturer's instructions.

When serving grate a little ginger on top.

I find that making sorbets is a little tricky. They never freeze solidly nor are they meant to. Experiment with the amount of sugar you use depending on whether or not you like sweetness or tart but do remember that sugar lowers the freezing temperature of water so the more you use the less solid it will become.

I use a standard Cuisinart ice cream maker, nothing fancy. The only drag is that the bowl must live in the freezer and you can only make one batch at a time in between refreezing the ice cream maker bowl. I do know there are more expensive versions that do not live in the freezer. For now, I am content with the one I have but perhaps soon I will step it up to a more pro version.

Have fun and be inspired!

I am thinking pomegranite next...

Mixed Citrus and Buttermilk Sherbet                         Wild Ginger and Lemon Sorbet

Pink Grapefruit Beet Sorbet

Wild Ginger and Lemon Sorbet

Copyright © 2011, andrea gentl. All rights reserved. 

where the wild things are no. 7. the colors of winter. a photo essay for kinfolk magazine.

I just received Kinfolk Volume Two. It is full of beautiful words and images created by over 60 artists and writers. Below is a photo essay we shot inspired by wildcrafting and the colors of winter. When I get upstate tomorrow, I am going to brew myself some tea, curl up by the fire and savor it cover to cover. Now, let it snow!!!

 To order Kinfolk Volume two click here and then run to your mail box everyday to see if it has arrived!

 

Prop styling by the lovely Angharad Bailey.

To see outtakes and an extended story click here.

All photos copyright Gentl and Hyers 2011.

sour sops and solstice.

Sunday marked the close of another great year at The New Amsterdam Market. The stalls were full of fish, oysters, smoked trout and eel. It was everything the market should be. The last thing I expected to see was a stall full of beautiful tropical fruits handpicked by Maggie Nescuir at Flying Fox. She ventured down to Holmstead Florida this past week to handpick an astonishing and magical assortment of fruits, some of which I had no idea grew anywhere in the United States. I was inspired by her pilgrimage. On this shortest day of the year, know that tomorrow the days begin to get longer and we are one step closer to the light. Happy Winter Solstice!

1.  Satsuma

2. Chinese Honey 

3. Longans

4. Canestel (Egg fruit)

5. Guanabana (Sour Sop) 

6. Sapodilla (chocolate fruit)

7. Kejaja Wild 

8.Ruby blush

9. Newhall Navel (a red fruited orange)

10. orlando tangelo

11. lemon guava

12. chinese honey 

13. murcott honey  

14. passion fruit

 

twenty years

I am in the midst of editing twenty years worth of work shot with my Deardorf 8x10, faced with the bittersweet passage of time.

 

 

Copyright © 2011, andrea gentl. All rights reserved. 

where the wild things are. jerusalem artichokes.

The Jerusalem artichoke, sometimes referred to as the Sunchoke or Sunroot, really has nothing to do with what we know of as an artichoke. It is a plant that was highly valued and cultivated by Native Americans. I have read that the Spanish and Italian settlers called it Girasol, their word for Sunflower, which was later bastardized to Jerusalem. Over time, the cultivation of Jerusalem artichokes fell away and the tubers became little known save for a select few, until recently, as they have made a huge comeback with chefs and local farmers markets. Quite often what you see is a naturalized Jerusalem artichoke that has been gathered from the wild where they grow along the roadside. The Jerusalem artichoke is now also being being cultivated. I try to make a habit of buying the wild ones but you will easily find culitaved ones at your green market. Wild crafters can easily spot these imposter sunflowers in the summer, as they closely resemble a wild sunflower. The edible tubers, buried beneath the ground are knobby and elongated. The skin of the tuber is a brown or purple. Several tubers are clustered at the base of each stem.  In summer, the plant gets quite tall with bristly woody stems and green pointed leaves. They bear yellow sunflower-like flowers. They remind, me in size, of a Black-Eyed Susan. They lack the large dark seeded center of a traditional sunflower but bear many other similarities. The time to spy your artichoke spot is when the flowers are in bloom. It will not be hard to miss these brilliant patches of wild yellow flowers. Remember it and commit it to memory! Return to your spot in the late fall to dig some artichokes after the first frost. Jerusalem artichokes keep best in the ground so they can be collected straight through to spring. Last weekend, I made a great afternoon snack of fried Jerusalem artichokes along with a  carpaccio of Jerusalem artichokes. The carpaccio was very light crisp and nutty!

Fried Jerusalem Artichokes with Meyer Lemons

Ingredients

6 Jerusalem Artichokes

1 Meyer lemon

Sea Salt

Vegetable Oil for Frying

Method

With a sharp knife cut off the extra bits of roots and eyes; don't peel the artichoke

Shave fine slices lengthwise as well as in the round for some variety with a mandolin

Slice the whole Meyer lemon as thinly as you can with a sharp knife in the round

Fry the artichoke and Meyer lemon together until just golden

Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and let sit on a paper towel to remove any excess oil

Transfer to a plate

Add a little sea salt and eat immediately!!

Carpaccio of Jerusalem Artichokes

Ingredients 

6 artichokes

Extra Virgin Olive oil

1 Lemon

Sea salt

Cracked black pepper

Mint optional

With a sharp small knife cut trim any roots or eyes; leave the skin on Jerusalem

Shave the artichokes with a mandolin lengthwise

Dress  with the juice of one whole lemon, extra virgin olive oil and sea salt and a little cracked black pepper,

I used rosehip salt and a little wild mint but good old-fashioned sea salt will work just fine!