Here comes another one with stone fruit. As Cherries and Peaches have taken their turn, it is Plums now, which got to be played with. Red, vibrant, juicy and totally inviting plums have flooded the markets, being at their peak.

I have been snacking on them hugely and still can’t get enough of them. A perfect to-go snack full of vital nutrients. A daily intake of seasonal fruits have always been on my evening snack foods. And they are really comforting, especially when the weather is so sultry and humid.

I bought a bag full of plums yesterday, thinking of gorging on them over the weekend, when the idea of making something frozen started playing on my mind. The ice cream maker has given me immense power and flexibility to play around with flavors in my kitchen. It has just made my life simpler. Delicious, silky and velvety ice creams and frozen desserts being churned out in minutes.

I made Balsamic Cherries and Toasted Almonds Ice Cream and Mango Pistachio Frozen Yogurt and they were mind blowing. Especially, it feels so great to have churned your own exotic flavor frozen desserts at home. I also made a Lychee  Ice Cream too, which I’ll be writing about later.

So I thought of trying my hands on Sorbet. I have had sorbet many a times at fine dining restaurants. And the one which I can’t seem to forget ever is the Tamarind sorbet. That was one kick-ass sorbet, I have ever tried. Vietnamese cuisine inspired recipe, simple yet tantalizing your taste buds!

And that inspired and encouraged me to make my own sorbet. So I followed a recipe from David Lebovitz, The Perfect Scoop, did some substitutions and voila! What a vibrant deep pink color! Oh My God! I couldn’t believe my eye, when I saw the color. And it surprised me even better, when I had the first spoon full. I don’t know why, it just took me to the memory by-lanes  of my childhood, a little kid enjoying sweet and sour candies. Total Bliss!

It was sweet, sour, bursting with fruit flavor. And I paired my sorbet with these wonderful lightly sweet rosemary shortbread cookies. Even better!

Plum Sorbet

Recipe adapted from The Perfect Scoop

Ingredients

550 gm plums (about 10)
1 cup water
2/3 cup sugar (adjust depending upon the tartness of plums)
1 tsp balsamic vinegar

Instructions

1. Slice the plums in half and remove the pits. Cut into eighths and put them in a medium, nonreactive saucepan with rest of of ingredients.
2. Cover and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes or until plums are tender.
3. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.
4. Once cool, puree the mixture in a blender or food processor, until smooth. Strain the mixture through a sieve and chill it thoroughly and then freeze it in your ice cream maker as per the manufacturer’s instructions.

Rosemary Shortbread Cookies

Recipe adapted from Tartlette

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
100 gm butter (cold and cubed)
2 teaspoons fresh or dried rosemary
3 tablespoons cold milk

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven at 180 degree Celsius and line a baking tray with parchment paper or silicon mat.
2. Mix flour, cornmeal and sugar thoroughly in a bowl. Add the butter and rub it with flour using your finger tips, until it resembles coarse bread crumbs.
3. Stir in chopped rosemary. Add the milk and form it into a dough ball. Divide the dough into two.
4. Taking one portion at a time, roll the dough to a thickness of 1/4 inch onto a floured surface or between two sheets of cling film.
5. Cut out cookies using a cookie cutter of your choice. Place the cookies on prepared tray and bake for about 10 minutes, until edges start to become golden.
6. Transfer cookies to a wire rack and cool completely.