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Ice Creams and Sorbets – Freezing as a Cooking Technique

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by: gwydion
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Word Count: 372

Perhaps because it's a relatively modern procedure and because it's typically used for food preservation, but the technique of freezing is almost never considered to be a cookery technique. Cooking is almost always considered to the be the technique of the addition of heat to a dish.

But where would we be without ice creams, sorbets, granaches and other frozen foods? Doesn't the technique of the preparation of these foods also deserve the term of cookery? After all you combine ingredients to form these dishes it's just that they're not heated, rather they're cooled.

To show what I mean, below I include a recipe for an ice cream and a classic sherbet.

Real Chocolate Ice Cream

Ingredients:
120g dark chocolate (at least 70% cocoa solids)
360ml milk
2 eggs, slightly beaten
200g sugar
240ml cream
pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
120ml milk

Method:
Place the chocolate in a bain marie (double boiler) and heat, stirring frequently, until melted. Keeping it on the heat, gradually stir-in the milk, whisking all the while and continue cooking until smooth.

Lightly beat the eggs then beat in the sugar until pale and creamy. Stir the hot chocolate mixture into the eggs, beating constantly then add the cream, salt, vanilla and the additional milk. Set aside to cool then pour the mixture into the bowl of an ice cream machine and churn according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Lemon Cream Sherbet

Ingredients:
150g sugar
80ml lemon juice
360ml milk
120ml cream
pinch of salt
2 tsp gelatine in 2 tbsp cold water and allowed to soak for 10 minutes

Method:
Mix together the sugar and milk in a pan. Heat gently until the sugar dissolves then take off the heat and cool to room temperature.

In a bowl combine the milk and sugar mix with the lemon juice, cream and salt and whisk to combine then gradually add the gelatine mixture. Place in a large tub suitable for the freezer then chill until almost set. Bring out of the freezer and beat for 10 minutes or until very light then return to the freezer and chill until frozen.

If, during the final process, the mixture separates and the bottom becomes full of ice crystals you should remove from the freezer and beat again to combine.

I would challenge anyone to deny that the method of producing these dishes can't be classed as 'cookery'.

About the Author

Dyfed Lloyd Evans runs the Celtnet Recipes site where you can find many more recipes for Ice Creams, Sorbets and Sherbets and there are many more Classic British Recipes as well.

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