Minted Black Currant Sorbet

I didn’t think there was such a thing as too much dessert. But with summer in full swing and my complete inability to resist the season’s glorious fruit and berries, we have reached the limit around here. The two of us simply have not been able to keep up with all of the goodies I’ve been inspired to whip up. I have resorted to throwing dinner parties, not for the company but for the extra mouths to feed, sending sweets with the husband to work, and simply giving it away. And my freezer’s still stuffed full of desserts and their various components.

So when I was considering what to make with the rest of the incredibly ripe black currants from our very own currant bush before they went bad, I knew it had to be something that would keep until we had room in our bellies. (And until the husband returned from his business trip to Taiwan—after all, I didn’t want to have to eat all of it by myself!) My solution? Sorbet, of course! I made the sorbet and froze it without even bothering to churn it. Yesterday I thawed out the giant popsicle and churned it. Why all the freezing and refreezing? I love to eat homemade sorbet the day it’s churned, when the texture is at its best. The timing couldn’t have been better—we had a record high of 106 degrees yesterday, and the refreshment was desperately needed.


Minted Black Currant Sorbet
Printable Recipe

2 pounds black currants
1 ½ cups sugar
½ cup packed mint leaves
1 cup water
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Puree the currants in a food mill using the finest disc. If the puree has seeds, strain it through a fine mesh sieve to remove them. Combine the sugar, mint, and water in a small saucepan. Heat until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and let cool. Strain through a fine mesh sieve and stir in the currant puree and lemon juice. Chill over an ice bath until ice-cold. Transfer to an ice cream maker and churn until frozen. Transfer to a container and freeze for 4 to 6 hours before serving.

Makes about 1 ½ quarts. A good sorbet is always refreshing, but the mint makes this one even more so. A small scoop would make a fantastic palate cleanser between courses in a rich meal. Another serving idea: Frozen Kir Royales.

Too Hot to Cook

Forecast: a week of 100-degree temperatures. Back when I lived in Texas, I would’ve though nothing of it. But now I am acclimated to the mild temperatures, endless drizzle, and pale skin of the Pacific Northwest. So this kind of forecast puts the fear in me. If anyone’s looking for me, I’ll be in the refrigerator.


Carrot & Garbanzo Bean Salad
Printable Recipe

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated ginger
½ teaspoon coriander seeds, toasted and ground
¼ teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted and ground
Generous pinch cayenne pepper
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
8 ounces carrots, shredded
1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1/3 cup diced red onion
2 tablespoons minced cilantro
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Whisk together the lemon juice, ginger, coriander, cumin, cayenne, and oil in a small bowl. Toss together the carrots, garbanzo beans, onion, cilantro, and dressing in a large bowl and season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve immediately.

Serves 4. Healthy and light and refreshing for the summertime. Use sweet, colorful heirloom carrots if you can find them.

Black Currants and Purple Lemonade

I desperately needed refreshment after I spent 2 hours picking every single last currant off the bush in the backyard on a 95-degree afternoon. This Purple Lemonade did quite nicely.


OK, so maybe it’s fuchsia. But black currants make me think purple. Also, I didn’t want it to be confused with pink lemonade made with strawberries or raspberries.

Purple Lemonade
Printable Recipe

12 ounces black currants
1 ¾ cups sugar
Grated zest of 2 lemons
2 quarts plus 1 cup water
1 ¼ cups freshly squeezed lemon juice

Puree the currants in a food mill using the finest disc. If the puree has seeds, strain it through a fine mesh sieve to remove them. Combine the sugar, lemon zest, and 1 cup of the water in a small saucepan. Heat until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and let cool. Stir in the lemon juice and strain through a fine mesh sieve. Stir together the currant puree, lemon mixture, and remaining 2 quarts of water in a large pitcher. Serve over ice.

Makes about 3 quarts. For sparkling Purple Lemonade, substitute soda water for half of the second quantity of water.

Cherry Season and Sour Cherry Galettes

When I told my mother that we had gone cherry picking, she cursed at me. After I told her that we got loads of sour cherries too, she threatened to hang up the phone. In a fit of jealousy, she told me to lose her number and never call her again. You see, sour cherries are her favorite, but she lives in Texas, where sweet cherries must be shipped in and fresh sour cherries are completely unknown.

But the husband and I live a mere two-hour drive from cherry country.


So every summer, we make a point of heading out to the cherry orchards at least once. We pick as many cherries as we can cram into the refrigerator and then some.


Sour pie cherries are always the hardest to find. I know of few orchards that still have sour cherry trees, and they’re usually picked clean by the time we make it out. Luckily, this year we hit the jackpot with several pounds of Montmorency cherries.


I know it’s weird, but I like to eat sour cherries out of hand, maybe even more than sweet cherries. I love their complex flavor and how they make you pucker up—it’s like being tickled, only in your mouth. I had to muster lots of will power not to eat them all at once, so that I could have enough left to make Sour Cherry Galettes.


Schmerber Farms is my new favorite orchard for u-pick cherries, in case you ever happen to be visiting these parts in the summertime. They have eight varieties of sweet cherries, plenty of sour cherries, beautiful scenery, and a very warm welcome.


Sour Cherry Galettes
Printable Recipe

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon kosher salt
12 tablespoons (1 ½ sticks) cold unsalted butter, diced
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons, or more, cold water
1 ¾ pounds sour cherries, pitted
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon almond extract
1 tablespoon heavy cream
2 tablespoons Turbinado sugar

Combine the flour, 2 tablespoons of the sugar, and salt in a food processor and pulse a few times to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the water and pulse until the dough just comes together. Test the dough by squeezing a small amount together with your fingertips. If the dough holds together, it’s ready. If it’s crumbly, add up to 1 more tablespoon of water and pulse 2 more times. Transfer the dough to a work surface, bring together into a ball, and cut into eighths. Form each portion into a ball and then flatten into a disc. Wrap each disc separately in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 425ºF. On a lightly floured surface, roll out each disc of dough to a 7-inch wide, 1/8-inch thick circle. As you work, transfer the circles to parchment-lined baking trays. Refrigerate for about 10 minutes.

Toss together the cherries, remaining ¾ cup of sugar, cornstarch, and almond extract in a large bowl. Divide the cherry mixture among the dough circles, mounding it in the center of each one. Fold the edge of the dough over the cherries, pleating it as you go. Refrigerate for another 10 minutes.

Lightly brush the galette crusts with the cream and sprinkle the galettes with the Turbinado sugar. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until golden brown.

Makes 8 individual galettes. Work quickly and with a light touch to prevent the butter in the pastry from melting. Serve at room temperature, perhaps with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.