Today my big sis is our guest BakerBee! She came to spend last weekend with us and I just knew I had to do one thing for her visit... buy some Cutie Patooties! So many memories of the days growing up with my big sis include the wafting scent of a freshly picked tangerine from our tree (...and then the inevitable feeling sick to our stomachs from pigging out on these little orange treats!)
We're in the last month of Cuties season, so I bought a whole crate to share with my big sis - I just couldn't resist. From November through April, Cuties (hybrid of an orange and mandarin) are sold all around town. From Trader Joe's to Cost-Co, there is many a Cutie to be found and I have to admit... even though I have the chance to buy fresh tangerines around here, it's kind of hard to resist these adorable little guys!
(O.k., so on some slightttt occasions, I do admit I can fall victim to a bit of market manipulation now and then, but I mean come on... could you resist this? L'il zipper, the cutie? Read all about him here. ) This marketing campaign is pure genius (- and by the way...I still can't finish the Cuties game on here that's made for kids! ha) and I really appreciate and give credit to them for their take on making fresh, nutritious fruit fun for kids and school lunches.
So I decided to search for the most refreshing thing you can possibly make with Cuties and I thought - what else but sherbet? I found a really easy and fun recipe from one of my favorite columns in the New York Times: Tiny Kitchen with Jill Santopietro.
Follow the recipe for Tangerine Sherbet here and have fun watching a quick video if you wish, as well.
Some fun Cuties stickers (more genius kid marketing...)
One of my very favorite tools in the kitchen is this awesome citrus juicer (from my lil' sis - thanks, sis!) It works splendidly on anything from lemons to limes, to tangerines, to even, when chopped up, oranges and grapefruits! You can find these awesome juicers here.
JUICE!
...and some very fresh zest. My sis and I like our citrus recipes with extra zest so we used 3 fruit's worth and left every bit in through the final product (though the recipe suggests straining it all out.)
I've searched for vegan gelatins and have thought about using agar, but in the end have found that plain old Knox is pretty reliable. The key to using real gelatin is not to get it hot (unless required in the recipe.) This can keep the "ick" factor down (and your imagination for all that goes into it...as you can imagine.) O.k., moving on...
Sprinkle your gelatin over room temperature water and allow it to settle a bit on top after sprinkling.
Sugar...
Salt...
...and juice+zest poured on top.
Fresh Creammmm.
Pour into your juice mixture and stir gently to mix.
Ready for the ice cream freezer!
Perfectly ready for happy consumption immediately (and believe me - you won't want to wait to enjoy this - the scent of citrus is simply irresistable!)
A super fresh and oh-so-creamy sherbet - the perfect mix between ice cream and italian ice when it comes to cold, sweet, citrus-y goodness! :-D (For extra fun, dish into an empty orange shell and refreeze before serving... if you have the patience to wait for it!)
