Strawberry and Basalmic Vinegar Sorbet

So this recipe is only tangentially related to cohousing. I think it counts because we are trying to use up the stuff we have in the freezer so we don't have to move it. Elmer thinks it counts because if we had cohousing members around when we made it we would have shared it with them.

These are pathetic reasons made by people who are hanging on to sanity by the slimmest margins, dealing with little sleep and lots of stress (and a kitchen that is nowhere near as fabulous as the new one will be!) Good thing this was an easy one to pull off. And so tasty. It reminds us of strawberries in the early summer, even though there is currently not a fresh strawberry to be found. (Well... not one you would want to eat anyway.,.. who buys strawberries in November? Yuck!) The balsamic vinegar takes some of the cloying sweetness off and the black pepper adds a surprising warmth to a cold sorbet.

Strawberry and Basalmic Vinegar Sorbet Makes 4 - 6 servings
1 16 oz package frozen strawberries. You were going to make margaritas with them, or smoothies. Now you are cleaning out your freezer. Time to eat them or chuck them. I vote eat them!
1.5 Tbls balsamic vinegar (adjust to taste)
2 grinds of black pepper.

Take your blender. Open the package of strawberries and dump them in the blender. Curse that the ice chop feature does not work as well as you think it does. My guess is the best bet is to drop the strawberries in the blender one at a time. That's an educated guess based on the amount of "fail" in the last batch of chopping.

Once all the strawberries are well blended (you may want to add a couple of tablespoons of water to get it to mush correctly, but go easy here). Add the vinegar and two twists of your black pepper grinder.
Blend again until smooth.

Feel free to taste and adjust for seasoning. Be brave. You were just going to throw the strawberries out anyway... you might as well have fun with it.

Load mixture into your ice cream maker and follow your manufacturer's instructions.
Yay!

Pistachio Cardamom Macaroons

Baking for Passover, Round 2.

Elmer found a pecan macaroon recipe he liked that he wanted to try. It was generously shared with Alton Brown when he stopped at a diner on his latest Road Trip, and Alton shared it with everyone else. The problem is, too many people at the Passover we were going to are allergic to pecans (and walnuts and almonds), including the hostess. So Elmer altered the recipe to use pistacios and added in a Tablespoon of ground Cardemom.

How do they taste?

I would like it to be noted that this is the first time that Elmer has gotten a proposal of marriage from another man after serving him food. A straight man who is already happily married too. Yes, these cookies are that good. Crunchy on the outside and a little chewy on the inside, and in the middle of the cookie, a little air pocket filled with the exotic perfume of cardemom.

Too bad, Jes, he's mine.

Pistachio Cardamom Macaroons Makes 4 Dozen.
3 lg egg whites
14 oz granulated sugar
12 ½ oz Ground Pistachios
1T Ground Cardemom

Preheat oven to 350.

Place egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk on low speed for 2-3 minutes until foamy. Gradually add the sugar over two minutes. Increase speed to high and mix for another 10 (yes, ten) minutes.

At the end of the 10 minutes it should look like this in the bowl.


It should have this kind of consistancy. Now wash your hands, that's raw egg there, mister.

Fold in the pistachios and the cardemom. Place batter in 1T balls onto parchment lined baking sheet. Bake 14-17 minutes for chewy and 17-20 minutes for crisp. Rotate pan halfway through baking time. Place hot pan on wet towel on heatproof surface. Cool completely before removing from pan.

These really are best warm, straight out of the oven. They do not keep well, so eat them all within the first day or so.