#slothkin

White Peach and Rose Sorbet

4 cups white peaches, sliced

2 Tbsp. lemon juice

2 Tbsp. rose water

1 cup sugar

½ cup water

2 Tbsp. lemon juice

rose petals for garnish

In a medium pot, combine the peaches, lemon juice, rose water, sugar and water to a simmer. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often, until the sugar has dissolved and the peaches are soft.

Let the mixture cool for about 15 minutes, then pour the contents into the jar of a blender. Puree on high until the mixture is very smooth. Add extra 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and quickly blend for a few more seconds.

Strawberry Soup

2 cups vanilla yogurt (dairy free if needed)

½ cup orange juice

2 lbs fresh strawberries, halved (8 cups)

½ cups sugar

fresh mint leaves, optional

Strawberries & Cream Scones

8 medium strawberries, quartered

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp. baking powder

3 Tbsp. white granulated sugar

½ tsp. fine sea salt

5 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cold

1 cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 200 degrees F. Place strawberries on a lined baking sheet. Transfer the baking sheet to the oven and bake for 45 minutes, until strawberries are slightly de-hydrated. Set aside to cool.

Adjust oven rack to middle position and turn oven up to 425 degrees F.

Place flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in large bowl. Whisk together until thoroughly combined.

Using a box grater, grate the cold butter into the flour mixture. Working quickly, and using your hands, mix the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles a coarse meal. Gently stir in strawberries. Pour in the heavy cream and mix until the dough begins to form, about 30 seconds.

Transfer dough and all dry, floury bits to a slightly floured countertop and knead dough by hand just until it comes together into a rough, slightly sticky ball, 5 to 10 seconds. Pat the scones flat to a 1-inch thickness. You can cut the scones into 8 wedges or you can use a biscuit cutter. I did the latter and ended up with 8 round scones. Place the scones on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Beat an egg with a tablespoon of water together and brush the tops’ of the scones with the egg wash.

Iced Golden Tea

2 cups + 6 cups of water. (2 cups for steeping, 6 cups of cool water to add to your steeped concentrate) 

8 tsp. (or 2 heaping Tbsp.) of dried turmeric or 4 in. of fresh turmeric, thin sliced or chopped (including the skin is fine)

8 tsp. (or 2 heaping Tbsp.) of dried ginger or 4 in. of fresh ginger (or less if it’s the fatter ginger variety but it’s hard to go wrong), thin sliced or chopped (including the skin is fine)

1 tsp. ground black pepper

¼ -½ cup of honey

Add the turmeric, ginger, and pepper to a saucepan. Cover with two cups of water. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer for a few minutes. Turn off the heat. 

Cover your pan and allow it to steep for an hour or so or even overnight.

Add the honey in the heating stage to help it dissolve. If it is high-quality raw honey, allow the mixture to cool a bit before adding it.

Strain out the root. If you are using fresh root, you can save it and make more tea. If you are using powder, I recommend straining your mixture through cheesecloth or a tight-weave strainer just to remove some of the gritty powder. The texture of your drink will be far better.

Apricot Coconut Prosecco Punch

¼ cup apricot puree

2 scoops coconut sorbet

12 oz. chilled prosecco

apricot puree, makes 2 cups

4 apricots pitted and chopped

1½ cups water

½ cup sugar

pinch of salt

For the Apricot Puree: In a small pan, add the apricot, water, sugar and salt. Cook for 3-5 minutes until thickened. Add to the jar of a blender and puree until smooth. Chill.

Spoon 2 tablespoons of apricot puree into the bottom of each of two cocktail glasses 

Add one scoop of coconut sorbet to each glass.

Tart with Figs and Maple Syrup

Shortbread Dough:

1½ cups (230g) of wheat flour

9 Tbsp. (130g) butter, cold and cut into cubes

1 egg

⅓ cup (40g) of powdered sugar

pinch of salt

Filling:

1 heaping cup (250g) mascarpone, chilled

¾ cup (200 ml) heavy whipping cream, chilled

¼ cup (70g) maple syrup or golden syrup

2 large eggs

2 tsp. of potato starch

Extras:

6-8 fresh figs

maple syrup for serving

Sift the flour and add the butter, chop quickly with a knife until the dough resembles crumbs. Add the egg, sugar, salt and quickly knead the dough (you can also mix it in a mixer). Form the dough into a ball, flatten it slightly, wrap it in foil and chill in the refrigerator for at least 60 minutes.

Grease a 9 inch (25 cm) tart tin with butter and sprinkle with wheat flour, shake off excess flour.

Roll out the cooled dough to a thickness of about 3 mm and line the form with it. Chill again in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Sprinkle the cooled dough with wheat flour, put baking paper on it, and weigh the dough down.

Preheat the oven to 425 F (220ºC). Lower the oven temperature to 400 F (200ºC). Bake for 15 minutes then remove from the oven, remove the paper with weights, put it back in the oven and bake for an additional 5-7 minutes, until the bottom is lightly browned. Remove and fill the still hot base with the filling.

Filling:

Place mascarpone, maple syrup and eggs in the mixer bowl. Mix until combined and there are no lumps of mascarpone, scraping the cheese from the sides of the bowl from time to time. At the very end, add the whipping cream and potato starch and mix briefly (add the whipping cream at the end to avoid unnecessary whipping and aeration). The filling will be very thin.

Pour the filling onto the well-baked hot tart base. Bake at 350 F (180°C) for about 15 – 20 minutes until baked. The top will be golden brown and the sides of the filling will begin to rise slightly. Remove from the oven and cool. Cool overnight in the refrigerator.