Slushed! Part 15

MAKES ABOUT 1 QUART.

4 cups grapefruit juice 1 cup sugar cup vodka Put the grapefruit juice and sugar in a medium-sized pot. Simmer over medium-high heat until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat. Cover and let cool to room temperature.

Stir in the vodka, then chill in the fridge until completely cold.

Process the mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. Transfer to a container. Freeze overnight.

Mexican Coffee Sorbet

If you like Mexican Coffee, that hot dessert coffee spiked with tequila, you'll love this sorbet. Serve with whipped cream dusted with cocoa powder and the tiniest bit of cayenne pepper.

MAKES ABOUT 1 QUART.

cup water cup dark brown sugar 3 cups strong brewed coffee, chilled cup tequila Whipped cream, for garnish Cocoa powder, for garnish Cayenne pepper, for garnish Put the water, coffee, and brown sugar in a medium-sized pot. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly to dissolve the sugar, until the mixture just starts to simmer.

Remove from heat, transfer to a bowl, and cool to room temperature. Stir in the tequila. Chill the mixture completely in the fridge.

Process the mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. Transfer to a container. Freeze overnight.

Hurricane Sorbet

This sweet sorbet is a luscious mix of fruit juices liberally spiked with rum and a little grenadine syrup. It's a take on the cla.s.sic Hurricane c.o.c.ktail, invented in New Orleans in the '40s by bar owner Pat O'Brien.

MAKES ABOUT 1 QUART.

2 cups freshly squeezed orange juice 2 cups pineapple juice cup fresh lime juice 2 tablespoons light rum 2 tablespoons dark rum 2 tablespoons grenadine syrup Put all ingredients in a medium-sized bowl. Stir to combine. Chill in the fridge until completely cold.

Process the mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. Transfer to a container. Freeze overnight.

Hurricane Dessert c.o.c.ktail

For a potent dessert c.o.c.ktail, fill Hurricane gla.s.ses with 3 scoops of this sorbet. Add 1 shot of light rum and 1 shot of dark rum. Fill with equal parts chilled orange and pineapple juices. Garnish with a paper umbrella and a skewer of fresh pineapple chunks.

Orange Blossom Special Sorbet

The Orange Blossom c.o.c.ktail is a heady mix of fresh orange juice and gin. This frozen version is bright and vibrant, with faint herbal notes from the gin.

MAKES ABOUT 1 QUART.

3 cups freshly squeezed orange juice cup sugar Zest of 1 orange 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice cup gin Put the orange juice, sugar, and orange zest in a medium-sized pot. Simmer over medium-high heat until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat. Cover and let cool to room temperature.

Stir in the lemon juice and gin, then chill in the fridge until completely cold.

Process the mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. Transfer to a container. Freeze overnight.

Blueberry Mojito Sherbet

What a combination! This dramatically purple sherbet is packed with fresh blueberry juice. Mint accentuates the berry flavor.

MAKES ABOUT 1 QUART.

2 cups whole milk 4 cups blueberries cup fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped cup sugar Zest from 1 lime cup light rum Put the milk, blueberries, mint, sugar, and lime zest in your blender. Blend until smooth. Strain into a large bowl. Whisk in the light rum. Chill the mixture completely in the fridge.

Process the mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. Transfer to a container. Freeze overnight.

Berry Subst.i.tutions To change your berry flavor, subst.i.tute fresh raspberries, blackberries, or strawberries for the blueberries-or make a mixed berry mojito with any combination of these.

White Sangria Sorbet

The nice thing about sangria is how versatile it is. You can make it with pretty much any fruit that's in season. This white sangria sorbet is light and citrusy, with just a hint of strawberry sweetness.

MAKES ABOUT 1 QUART.

1 cup orange juice cup white grape juice 1 cups sugar 1 cup strawberries, hulled and sliced 1 orange, sliced 1 lemon, sliced 3 cups pinot grigio Put the orange juice, grape juice, and sugar in a medium-sized pot. Bring to a simmer, whisking until the sugar dissolves. Add the strawberries, sliced orange, and sliced lemon. Simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes. Strain the mixture into a large bowl, smoos.h.i.+ng the solids down with a spoon to extract as much liquid as you can. Discard the solids.

Add the pinot grigio, stirring to combine. Let cool to room temperature, then chill completely in the fridge.

Process the mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. Transfer to a container. Freeze overnight.

Kiwi Cooler Sorbet

This sorbet is a throwback to the early '90s, when you couldn't turn on the TV without seeing five or six wine cooler ads. Peeling all these kiwis is definitely a labor of love, but it's well worth the effort.

MAKES ABOUT 1 QUART.

13 large, ripe kiwis cup sugar 1 cups pinot grigio Peel, slice, and puree the kiwis in the blender. Add the sugar and pinot grigio. Puree until smooth. You want to wind up with about 2 cups of juice. Chill completely in the fridge.

Process the mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. Transfer to a container. Freeze overnight.

Watermelon Margarita Sorbet

Ever have a slice of spiked watermelon at a party? You know what I'm talking about: Punch a hole in a whole watermelon with a corkscrew, drain a small bottle of vodka or tequila into it, then slice it into delicious, semisolid c.o.c.ktail wedges an hour or two later? This sorbet gets its inspiration from the very same cookout treat.

MAKES ABOUT 1 QUART.

5-pound piece of ripe, seedless watermelon cup sugar Juice of 1 large lime cup tequila Chunk up the watermelon. Puree it in batches in the blender. You want to wind up with about 3 cups of juice. (Getting juice out of whole fruit is an inexact science. The amount you get will vary slightly depending on how fleshy your watermelon is. When in doubt, buy a bigger piece of watermelon and deal with a little leftover.) Add the sugar, lime juice, and tequila and blend until smooth. Give it a taste and add a little more sugar if it's too tart-or a little more lime juice if it's too sweet.

Chill completely in the fridge.

Process the mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. Transfer to a container. Freeze overnight.

Chapter 9.

Ice Cream Sandwiches, Cakes, and Other Frozen Novelties

Remember Carvel? Or your neighborhood ice cream truck? This section pays homage to those favorite frozen treats of our youth-the ice cream cakes, the pies, and the ice cream sandwiches.

You'll find frozen cheesecake recipes fit for royalty-without the need for a palatial kitchen. In fact, these scrumptious desserts take hardly any time, with none of the muss or fuss a.s.sociated with traditional, baked cheesecakes.

For the ice cream pies, just grab a premade crust or follow my simple instructions and make your own b.u.t.tery, cookie-based crust. The essence of these pies is really in the filling.

When it comes to ice cream sandwiches, use these recipes as a base, and get creative with your ice cream and cookie combinations. You can even make impromptu ice cream sandwiches with cookies from your local bakery-or your favorite homemade recipe.

Grand Marnier Frozen Cheesecake

Baked cheesecakes can be daunting to make, but this one is a real beauty. Since there's no baking, there's no cracking-and no real margin for messiness. Serve it as the finale at an intimate dinner party-or surprise your friends at your next movie night. Either way, this rich, marmalade-laced cheesecake is a real crowd pleaser.

MAKES 1 9-INCH CHEESECAKE.

CRUST.