NEWS for North Dakotans
Agriculture Communication, North Dakota State University
7 Morrill Hall, Fargo, ND 58105-5665
July 8, 1999
The word "sherbet" appears to have its origin in the Middle East. In French, the word for sherbet is "sorbet," although the French sometimes make a distinction because a sorbet never contains milk, as sherbet does.
At home, most people serve sorbet for dessert, but many restaurants, including some in this region, serve savory or sweet sorbets between courses to cleanse diners' palates of one taste so they can fully enjoy the next course. For example, after eating a salad with a sharp vinaigrette or a heavy soup, a bittersweet chocolate sorbet may be the perfect refresher to prepare the taste buds for the delicate flavor of chicken or fish. But then, maybe not. Maybe a banana-pineapple sorbet would be a better choice. Just be aware there are recipes for chocolate sorbets.
Robust foods also benefit from the palate-cleansing action of sorbets. Imagine the overwhelming taste of garlic being wiped away by the breathy tartness of a lime-mint sorbet, followed by the full-bodied flavor of roast beef with horseradish sauce.
Still, I'm sure that most of us who enjoy sorbet will keep on enjoying it for dessert. But why not at least try eating sorbet as a low-calorie snack or an accompaniment to an entree. Blueberry, orange, lemon, cranberry, peach, apple, watermelon, mango, pear, kiwi, rhubarb, pomegranate—onion—the options for sorbet flavors seem limitless. Yet sorbets are relatively easy to make, so these icy concoctions won't limit your time. Many sorbet recipes, including the one that follows, are available from SOAR—the Searchable Online Archive of Recipes at University of California in Berkeley.
Easy Freezer Strawberry Sorbet
From SOAR--the Searchable Online Archive of Recipes, University of California, Berkeley (http://soar.Berkeley.EDU/recipes/)Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients:
2¼-ounce packages unflavored gelatin
1 cup granulated white sugar
3 cups water
1 quart pureed strawberries (about 3 pints fresh)
1 cup cranberry juice
¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
6 large fresh strawberries, green stems intact (optional)Procedure:
Combine gelatin and sugar in a medium saucepan and stir in water. Let stand for 2 minutes. Cook mixture over low heat, stirring constantly until gelatin dissolves. Remove from heat and cool. Stir in strawberry puree, cranberry and lemon juices and pour mixture into 13 x 9-inch pan. Cover and freeze 8 hours or overnight. Divide frozen mixture into quarters and whirl each batch in a blender or food processor until smooth. Return all the mixture to same 13 x 9-inch pan and freeze for 4 hours or until firm. Let mixture stand at room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes before serving. If desired, garnish with fresh strawberries.
What's Your Take on This, Julie
I've always liked frozen desserts, but I must admit there was a time when strawberries weren't my favorite fruit. It was the time I helped hull 90 pounds of pick-yourself berries for freezing. I was 12 and fed up with strawberries, but by the time winter rolled around, I had chilled out enough to enjoy the fruits of our summer labor.
Fruits and vegetables are definitely "health food." Research continues to link eating at least five servings of fruits and vegetables with a reduced risk of cancer and heart disease. Fruits and vegetables are an excellent source of dietary fiber as well as vitamins and minerals.
Strawberries make the quest for "5-A-Day" a little easier. A serving consisting of eight medium strawberries (5.5 ounces) contains only 50 calories and provides 140 percent of the recommended daily amount of vitamin C. Vitamin C is an antioxidant vitamin that helps your body absorb iron, maintain healthy gums, teeth and bones, and also resist infections.
A serving of strawberries contains about 3 grams of dietary fiber, which assists with digestion and may play a role in reducing the risk of some chronic diseases. Strawberries provide potassium, a mineral that helps the body maintain normal blood pressure, transmit nerve impulses and contract muscles. Strawberries also taste much better than a multivitamin/mineral supplement.
When picking strawberries in the field or at the store, look for berries with a uniform shape, bright red color and bright green caps. The California Strawberry Board advises that you store them in the refrigerator loosely covered with plastic wrap. Rinse strawberries under cool water just prior to eating them. Strawberries have their best flavor if allowed to reach room temperature just before serving.
Whether palate cleanser or dessert, Easy Freezer Strawberry Sorbet is a tasty alternative to ice cream. A serving (one-sixth of the recipe) contains about 195 calories, only a trace of fat and a full day's supply of vitamin C.
I've obviously given up my youthful disdain for strawberries.
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Sources: Dean Hulse (701) 231-6136
Julie Garden-Robinson (701) 231-7187
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