We are also not having Tomato Pie once again as promised as it seems that in- between naps and resting; I got a little trigger happy and ordered a few toys to keep me company. My new mouse makes a click of the button so fast, I didn’t even know it happened. I signed up for super shipping terms with Amazon, which was a big mistake. One click and it skipped the cart section which always gives me a chance to ask, Do I really want this? Can I really afford to buy it? Should I wait? Instead up popped ,Thank You For Your Order. It was so obvious Amazon just closed the deal. And then I did it again, I bought something else.

Anyone want ice cream? Shucks, it’s almost summer, how could I say no to a new Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker? I mean really, we all need one of those to make the hot summer months pass by, don’t we? The old ice/salt model that I have had forever has been permanently retired. Now all I have to do is convince the husband I made a wise choice since he unknowingly treated me to the new toy toys.

Well you see I really wanted David Lebovitz’s, The Perfect Scoop book so I could make some really good ice cream, it has lots of great recipes.

My quick thinking comes in handy once again and out of my mouth before I could even stop myself comes the words………

I bet I could learn to make your favorite Orange Chocolate Chip Sherbet with the new ice cream maker and book. Oh my gosh, I didn’t just encourage him did I. I didn’t just say I was going to make this for him, did I?

He looked up at me and sort of grinned, saying right………… like he didn’t know what I was up to.

I make a another quick comeback which was my last for the evening and told the husband that I have been tracking the shipments and expect them to arrive any minute now by my calculations. Further in anticipation, I have an ice cream flavor chilling in the frig ready to pop into the maker once I’ve chilled the bowl and read the instructions.

Homemade ice cream is so close, just be patient I add.

This kept him quiet and he forgot about the other charges, like the remote picture taker and tripod that I just had to have. Like I really need to read another manual at this point.

The following evening, he said. You were making ice cream weren’t you?

Yes, Lemon Buttermilk Sorbet. Would you like some?

Sure.

I bring in a scoop with the caveat, please note that the consistency is unlike store bought brand you are use to and a little goes a long way with a buttermilk base.

He is so not going to like this, I now it was the wrong choice, but I am still working with what was on hand.

Wow, this is delicious!

Excuse me, I really wasn’t sure I heard him clearly, my ears are still congested and his words were joyful-spontaneous and unsuspecting.

Delicious, I said, delicious!

I grinned, really grinned as I could see the potential for winning him over with a dish of homemade ice cream at the end of the day. This means the 5 or so random containers that now take up more space in the my freezer will be replaced with containers of so-so chic homemade ice cream.

This is also my contribution for Sugar High Friday, which is put on by the very lovely Helen of Tartelette who is my neighbor. The other host of this event is Jennifer of The Domestic Goddess I am a day late which I hate, but she is apparently open to bribery so Sour Candies are on there way Tartelette. I whipped up a batch of candied lemon peel to go with this fine dessert, and it sorta didn’t work out. I know better than to turn my back.

Let me tell you, if you don’t have an ice cream maker than you must treat yourself before the summer months get away from you. Cuissinart has made it so easy, you could be a rank beginner in the kitchen and still turn out a great batch of ice cream. No more salt, ice and newspaper to clean up the mess with this machine that sits on the counter and does the work for you.

I used Ronni Lundy’s recipe for the Lemon Buttermilk Sorbet as David’s book had yet to arrive. Ronni’s recipe calls for brown sugar, I only had dark so the color was off a little. That is till I paired it with David’s recipe for a Creamy Caramel Sauce, oh my. I look forward to trying David’s recipe to try this as a sherbet and I imagine I will like his version just as well.

David said the Lemon Buttermilk is perfect with Caramel Sauce. I wasn’t about to ignore his suggestion as I am a huge fan of caramel anything as well as being a fan of David’s blog.

I kept my ice cream chilled overnight as I like a thicker consistency. I then dove into David’s book to make the Caramel Sauce. Scrumptous, scrumptous is all I can say. I had all I could do to let it cool before trying it. No kidding, I had to remind myself on three separate occasions that I could find myself without a tongue if I ate the hot sauce off the heat proof spatula.

A few spoonfulls of this on the Lemon Buttermilk Sorbet and I was blown away it was that good. I am almost speechless and so happy I opted to keep my tongue while forgoing the hot caramel sauce. My new mission is to figure out what else I can make to go with this sauce.

Lemon Buttermilk Sorbet

Ronnie Lundy, Butterbeans to Blackberries

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 large lemon

3 1/2 cups of buttermilk

• Mix the sugars together.
• Zest the lemon and mince the zest finely, then juice the lemon.
• Mix the juice, sugar in a non-reactive saucepan to dissolve the sugar.
• Add the zest and simmer over very low heat for 5 minutes.
• In a bowl, combine the buttermilk and lemon syrup.
• Cover securely ad refrigerate overnight.
• Prepare according to ice cream makers directions.

Lemon-Buttermilk Sherbet

David Lebovitz, The Perfect Scoop

1/3 cup water

2/3 cup sugar

1 lemon, preferably unsprayed

2 cups buttermilk

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)

• In a medium, non-reactive saucepan, mix the water and sugar.
• Grate the zest of the lemon directly into the saucepan.
• Heat, stirring frequently, until the sugar is dissolved.
• Remove from the heat and let stand until the syrup reaches room temperature.
• Then chill thoroughly in the refrigerator.
• Whisk the buttermilk into the syrup, then whisk in the lemon juice.
• Freeze according to ice cream maker’s instructions.

Please note that Ronni’s recipe is a Sorbet, while David’s recipe is for a Sherbet.

Creamy Caramel Sauce

David Lebovitz, The Perfect Scoop

1 cup of sugar

1 1/4 cups heavy cream

1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

• In a large, deep, heavy duty saucepan or dutch oven, spread the sugar in an even layer.
• Cook the sugar over low to medium heat, watching it carefully.
• When it begins to liquefy and darken around the edges, use a heatproof spatula to very gently stir it to encourage even cooking.
• Tilt the pan and stir gently until all of the sugar is melted and the caramel begins to smoke and turns a deep amber color.
• Immediately remove from the heat and whisk in half of the cream, which will steam and bubble up furiously.
• Carefully stir until the sugar is dissolved, then gradually whisk int he remaining cream and the salt and vanilla.
• If there are any bits of hardened sugar, whisk the sauce over low heat until smooth.
• Serve warm.
• Keeps in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, if it lasts that long. Rewarm gently in the microwave or stirring in a saucepan over very low heat.
• If the sauce is too thick, you can thin it by adding a small amount of milk or additional cream.