Thursday, August 19, 2010

Mocha Sherbet Freeze

I spotted this sherbet on Saveur.com the other day, and it seemed like a very good antidote to our unrelenting August heat. I was ogling the frothy, icy, chocolaty beverage and wishing I had a glass of it in my hand when Cowgirl Chef all but dared me to go ahead and make it. So, I did. The recipe is also found in The Perfect Scoop, and since it’s a sherbet, it’s not terribly decadent. It’s made with espresso, cocoa powder, and milk. Once the sherbet has been churned in an ice cream maker and then left in the freezer to firm up, it’s then blended into a slurpingly good mocha freeze and topped with whipped cream making it a little more decadent than how it started. I made one change to the blended beverage by adding some Kahlua, and it did help alleviate the hot weather at least until my glass was empty.

I have to tell you a little more about the whipped cream garnish. I received a creative whip from iSi North America which makes whipping cream a very fast operation. I added a couple of teaspoons of sugar to a small container of cream, closed the top and shook the container to dissolve the sugar, and then poured the cream into the creative whip which is charged with nitrous oxide. You shake the creative whip canister a few times, and then pull the trigger for thick, whipped cream. That was so much easier than whisking for several minutes or pulling out the mixer. Obviously, you could use this tool for all kinds of creative foams or meringues, but I was thrilled to simply have effortless whipped cream on my mocha freeze. As I mentioned, I added some Kahlua. To make the freeze, you combine scoops of the sherbet with ice cubes and more espresso in a blender pitcher. I used half the suggested amount of espresso and half Kahlua. It was blended until smooth, whipped cream was piped onto it, and chopped chocolate-covered espresso beans were sprinkled on top.

Coffee and chocolate are great year-round, and in a frozen format, this fit perfectly with my criteria for summer desserts. It was cold, not heavy, and flavorful without being too sweet. Scoops of the sherbet all by itself were delicious too, but the blended beverage was a special treat.



21 comments:

  1. That is one wonderful dessert!

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  2. I luv chocolate and coffee! The "kids" around here say they don't like it, but little do they know it is paired in a chocolate cake I make all the time!!! Bet I could slip this one past them too...especially with Kahlua. (U were smarter than me to add it after the fact - I found out the hard way that adding spirits to my ice cream freezer seemed to keep things from setting up...boo) Looks delicious!

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  3. I have been lusting after one of those gadgets for a very long time. Rest assured I'd use it for all sorts of things -- including topping that delicious looking coffee/chocolate delight. YUM.

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  4. Oh man, I seriously think I have died and gone to heaven. This looks absolutely fantastic!

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  5. When I got my ice cream maker this year, the first thing I thought of was a mocha ice cream. Beautifully presented. what a treat.

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  6. What a cool whipped cream gadget! This looks like such a yummy treat!

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  7. With coffee & chocolate, this is a perfect frozen treat!

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  8. Now, that looks like the perfect way to cool off -- and get a nice caffeine pick-me-up, too! ;)

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  9. your mocha sherbet is very pretty! and i like how you serve it in a wine glass with a cute dollop of cream :)

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  10. This looks stunning and so mouthwatering!! This must be perfect for summer!

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  11. *swallows hard*
    want some ... right now :D

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  12. great, great combo. incidentally, my grandmother still says 'sherbert.' :)

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  13. Can I have some? what a great treat!!

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  14. Sounds so proffesional Lisa. You are one talented cook.

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  15. THat is completely lovely. I am not a coffee person, but I want this.
    Have a great weekend daaaahling.
    *kisses* HH

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  16. Such a decadent looking sherbet? That DL is a genius!

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  17. Coffee to jolt you up, sherbet to cool you off, and chocolate to perk you up...perfect.

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  18. I can never say no to chocolate and coffee!

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  19. Oh wow, so yummy sounding. this is just so refreshing - mocha is one of my favorite flavors.

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