Peach Rosé Sorbet

September 7, 2016 Plate Fete

Summer is fading fast. Truth be told, in many ways, it is already behind us, and though I will fiercely miss its warm breezes and long evenings, I cannot help daydreaming of pumpkins and cozy bonfires. Though the autumn is full of its own glorious, cinnamon-scented charms, I want to cherish these last, warm summer moments and drink them in, literally and metaphorically.

O, for a draught of vintage! that hath been

Cool'd a long age in the deep-delved earth,

Tasting of Flora and the country green,

Dance, and Provençal song, and sunburnt mirth!

O for a beaker full of the warm South,

Full of the true, the blushful Hippocrene,

With beaded bubbles winking at the brim,

And purple-stained mouth

- Ode to a Nightingale by John Keats

Last summer, my fiancé and I drove a couple hours so that we could spend an entire Saturday browsing through old bookstores with quirky proprietors, and stopping for refreshments every half hour.

We happened upon a small gelato shop serving a peach bellini gelato that was beyond heavenly. It was a sweet, southern afternoon captured in frozen cream. That gelato, it's majesty still imprinted upon my mind, was the inspiration for this sorbet.

Before the comments come rushing in, I do not claim to be a wine connoisseur, and I am sure that a sommelier would turn his or her nose up to this ten dollar bottle of rosé that I picked solely based upon the packaging. Though I plan on giving the world of fermented beverages further study at some point in the future, for now, the ten dollar stuff suits me just fine, especially since I was not planning on drinking it.

This rosé is combined with granulated sugar, and reduced into a light syrup that brings the flavors of the warm south to our sorbet.

Let's take a moment to talk about sorbet...

Surprisingly, this three-ingredient treat is not as simple as I had originally thought. I did a heavy load of research while testing this recipe and learned that the sorbet craft is a finicky one - one that requires a rather stringent ratio.

Sugar is very important to sorbet making, as it will effect the texture just as much as it will the flavor. Sugar lowers the freezing point of water, meaning that, in the proper amount, it will keep our sorbet scoopable. Of course, too much sugar could prevent the sorbet from freezing altogether, so it's important to keep the total sugar content (yes, including that of the fruit) of your sorbet around twenty to thirty percent.

With rosé at the party, we must be even more careful, as alcohol further reduces the freezing point of water. We have to tread carefully in order to keep our sorbet from being nothing but very cold soup.

Fortunately, I did all of the research, failing, and panicking for you so all you have to do is follow the recipe. If you would like to read more about the science of a perfectly executed sorbet, this article explains it very well.

Now that all the technicalities are behind us, let's talk about how wonderfully the flavor of sun-ripened peaches pairs with the soft, effervesce of a blushing rosé. It is pure heaven.

Today, let us preserve the fading call of summer and savor a few last tastes of the season.

This. This is my very own beaker of the warm south.

Sincerely,

Pedantic Foodie

Peach Rosé Sorbet

serves 6

- 1 cup sugar

- 1 cup Rosé (look for something in the 12% alcohol content range)

- 2 1/2 cups sliced peaches,* skins removed

*You may use fresh or frozen peaches for this application. However, if you do opt for frozen peaches, make sure they are fully defrosted before using them in the recipe.

Combine sugar and rosé in a small saucepan and place over medium heat. Stir constantly, until the sugar has completely dissolved and then bring to a simmer. Simmer for five minutes, and then remove from heat.

Place the peaches in your blender and cover with the rosé syrup. Blend on high speed until the mixture is smooth.

Allow to chill in the refrigerator or in an ice bath until the mixture is very cool. Churn in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s directions.* Transfer the sorbet to an airtight container and allow it to set up in the freezer for 2-4 hours.

*Depending on your ice cream maker, the sorbet may not completely freeze in the machine. Some ice cream makers do not get cold enough to really freeze the mixture, but do not worry, it will set up in the freezer.

My Favorite Key Lime Pie

August 29, 2016 Plate Fete

You know that sweatshirt that you just loooove?

The one you found on clearance at Target and were seduced by its soft, cotton charm. The one you have had for about a decade and have worn more than anything else in your closet but still cannot muster up the courage to throw away, because, with a messy bun and some sparkly earrings it's still one of your favorite stylings.

My Favorite Key Lime Pie {Pedantic Foodie}

This pie is that sweatshirt.

Wait! The metaphor works, give me a chance.

There is nothing special about this pie, but then again, there is everything special about this pie.

This is the pie I'll bring you if you just had a tiny human leave your body. You worked hard, eat some pie.

This is the pie I'll make on a Monday night and eat for lunch on Tuesday afternoon.

This is the pie I can whip up with no rolling or cold butter coercing required.

This is my favorite key lime pie and it's about to become yours.

I have loved this pie recipe ever since I first dipped my toes into the warm, sugary ocean of baking.

It's flavors are familiar and bold, and it's construction is simple.

So simple, in fact, that I felt silly sharing it here. For four and a half years I have resisted, but I recently realized that this pie is one of my favorite things to bake and there was absolutely no excuse for not letting it have its fair share of time in the spotlight.

Besides, isn't simple what everyone wants anyways?

Now, as we have already established, this pie requires minimal effort, so I fully expect you to show an ounce or two of courage and make your own graham cracker crust. None of that store bought stuff, okay?

I promise you can do it.

(If you'd like a gluten-free alternative, it happens to be equally amazing with this simple coconut macaroon crust. Just omit the chocolate coating.)

While the crust blind bakes, the super simple, lime filling comes together.

Egg yolks, sugar, lime juice, and sweetened condensed milk, that's all.

Can I tell you a secret? Most of the time, I do not actually use key limes... While I can sometimes find them in my area of the country, they are often dry and lacking in flavor, so I usually just opt for standard limes. An even bigger secret? Most of the time, I just buy the juice. Already squeezed. Don't hate me. While I would never do such a thing with lemon juice, after thorough testing with fresh key limes, key lime juice, limes, and lime juice, I have found that it really just does not matter in this recipe. The fresh, acidic flavors are preserved, and much effort eliminated. Just make sure you always buy 100% lime juice from a brand you trust, none of that concentrate stuff.

The filling will look really thin, probably too thin, but that is just perfect. After a quick bake and some quality time in the refrigerator, it will be smooth and sliceable.

I hate throwing away leftover egg whites, so I love that this pie uses both parts! While our egg yolk-based filling bakes, the whites are whipped into a sweet, billowy meringue.

The meringue is baked just long enough to brown and then this pie has to sit in the refrigerator for a tortuously long amount of time. Four to six hours is an eternity when you have pie on the brain.

Simplicity at its finest right there. You gotta love the classics.

My Favorite Key Lime Pie

recipe adapted from Baking at Home with the Culinary Institute of America / serves 8

for the crust

- 10 whole graham crackers

- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place crackers in the work bowl of your food processor and pulse until you have only fine crumbs.

Add in butter and sugar and pulse several times - until the mixture begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl.

Press the graham cracker mixture firmly into a 9-inch pie pan and bake for 8 minutes. Allow the crust to cool while you prepare the filling.

for the filling

- 4 large eggs, separated

- 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk

- 1/2 cup fresh key lime or lime juice

- 1 cup granulated sugar, divided

- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

Combine egg yolks and 1/2 cup sugar in a large mixing bowl. Beat with a whisk until the yolks have just begun to lighten in color, then add lime juice and sweetened condensed milk. Whisk until smooth.

Pour the filling into the prepared pie crust and bake for 15 minutes, until the filling has just set. Prepare the meringue while the filling is baking.

In a large, clean bowl, combine egg whites and cream of tartar. Beat on high speed with an electric mixture. When the whites have become thick and shiny white, slowly sprinkle in the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar while continuing to beat, until the mixture forms stiff peaks.

Remove the baked pie from the oven and increase the oven temperature to 450 degrees.

Fold the meringue onto the top of the baked pie filling while it is still hot. Spread the meringue evenly, being conscious to cover the very edges of the pie crust. This will help keep the meringue from shrinking. Use a fork or butterknife to make decorative peaks and swirls on the surface.

Return the pie to the oven to brown the meringue. This should take about 5 minutes.

When the meringue is deep golden brown, remove the pie from the oven and refrigerate until fully cooled; about 4 hours before slicing and serving. Enjoy!

Quick Peach Frozen Yogurt

August 24, 2016 Plate Fete

When was the last time you had frozen yogurt that actually tasted like, you know, yogurt?

Quick Peach Frozen Yogurt {Pedantic Foodie}

For me, it had been a while.

I have a tendency to fill my styrofoam cups with the frozen yogurt whose character has been entirely masked by flavors that have more of a five-year-old appeal, such as cake batter. I also have a tendency to then cover my adulterated yogurt in at least twice as many rainbow sprinkles as would be reasonable. Oops...they spilled?

While cake batter has its place, on hot summer afternoons a tangy, barely sweetened fro-yo cannot be beat.

This frozen yogurt is so straightforward that you really have no excuse not to treat yourself. It all comes together in a matter of minutes with the help of your food processor.

I blanched and sliced 10-12 peaches a couple weeks ago and tucked them away in the freezer for just such an occasion. Using fruit that I froze myself always feels so satisfying.

The peaches are followed by thick, greek yogurt, and several spoonfuls of honey.

In a couple of minutes we have frozen yogurt.

Why, why, WHY, have I not been doing this my whole life?!

I take no credit for this genius, it is purely a copycat move. I saw Joy the Baker make a lemon-strawberry rendition several weeks ago on SnapChat and decided that it would be the perfect use for my frozen peach slices.

The tanginess of the yogurt is so refreshing alongside the sweet peaches.

While you could certainly freeze this yogurt for future enjoyment, it will become rock solid very quickly. Because it has not been churned at all and has very little air, it loses it's soft texture and becomes icy in the freezer. This fro-yo is best when enjoyed in its soft-serve state. That's no problem in my world because I happen to be a big fan of instant gratification.

If you would like a serving for one, feel free to half or quarter the recipe.