Pinkglow® Pineapple & Grape “Shorbet”
Children in this country consume an estimated 12 percent of their calories from fast food and 20 percent of all American meals are eaten in the car! The consequences are predictably unhealthy. Competing schedules in the day-to-day lives of a busy modern family make it difficult to share a home-cooked meal together, but not impossible. In fact, with a little planning, cooking together can become a fun family event and learning opportunity. This feature will focus on providing a child or a group of children, working together under the supervision of an adult, with one uncomplicated, healthy and delicious side dish recipe. The dishes will be centered on seasonal fresh produce items; the recipes will always contain tasks will allow even the youngest kitchen helper to contribute to the family meal. Parents should always read through each recipe carefully to judge the division of labor based on age and ability as well as to identify where adult attention might be especially needed.
Many of the recipes presented here will seem very basic, this is by design. It is hoped that these simple preparations will provide the culinary foundation and confidence to inspire kids to try more challenging recipes as their experience and confidence in the kitchen develops. Melissa’s encourages parents to find the time to gather as a family unit at least once a week for a dinner that everyone pitches in to prepare. It’s a wonderful way to teach a child some basic culinary skills and, more importantly, cooking with your children will build memories in all your hearts forever. Enjoy your kids in the kitchen, they will be grown & gone before you know it! “No one is born a great cook; one learns by doing” – Julia Child.
Some are under the false impression that sorbets are healthier than ice cream. However, a retail sorbet is frozen fruit juice combined with sugar-water and has no fiber, making it not healthy at all. Here is what the three items in the same frozen dessert category offer as far as ingredients:
Basic Ice Cream – cream, milk, sugar, egg yolks, with a generous amount of butterfat. Texture: smooth & dense
Sorbet – fruit juice, sugar, water, no dairy. Texture: icy & light
Sherbet – fruit juice, sugar, water, with just a touch of dairy. Texture: smoother than sorbet/lighter than ice cream
The texture variances are a ready-made science class. Briefly, the smaller the ice crystals that form during the freezing process the smoother the texture. It’s the excuse for the one common ingredient all three share – processed sugar, which lowers the freeze point, which stops the growth in crystal size. Could the same logic be used to cut the sugar out completely with a healthier choice of ingredients, and I am not referring to substitute sweeteners? To save the reader time and trouble, I share how the answer was derived:
Our exclusive marketing partners at Del Monte came to Melissa’s with the already-christened Pinkglow® Pineapple some years ago. Though, each time I have cut one of these dazzling fruits open what comes to mind is the aroma of cotton candy. Compared to a regular yellow pineapple the variety is sweeter and much less acidic by this writer’s taste buds and substantiated with a quick ‘net search. I am no culinary scientist but decided to experiment making a no-sugar version of sorbet using frozen red grapes laced with Pinkglow® pineapples for a sweetener.
For the first test batch, I pureed these fruits together with just enough water to get the fruits moving in the blender. Results: still an icy texture, though not quite as grindy as sorbet, so the sweet pineapple seemed to affect the crystal size to a very small degree. However, the grape skin colorization also dulled the brilliant color of the pineapple way too much
Solution: Try for a sherbet, still no sugar but with just a smidge of milk and cream cheese. Puree each fruit separately, adding in the small amounts if dairy during the process. A smooth consistency with small fruit pieces to taste is the goal. Then flip the proportions by folding just enough of the grapes mixture into the pineapple mix to add texture and flavor. Thought: Using more of sweet pineapple in the formula should lower the freeze point. Success!
Pinkglow® Pineapple & Grape “Shorbet”
Ingredients
3 cups Pinkglow® Pineapple, small diced, frozen
1 ½ cups Seedless Red grapes, frozen
4 tablespoons Whole Milk, divided
4 tablespoons cream cheese, divided
4 tablespoons water, divided as needed
What the supervising adult should do:
The day before constructing this recipe, peel, core, and then oversee the dicing of the pineapple. Freeze both fruits overnight on separate trays. The next day assist with the puréeing of each fruit and cleaning of the blender in between.
What the kids can do:
In a blender or food processor, purée the frozen grapes, adding in half the milk, cream cheese and water as needed to the desired texture (chunky or smooth). Quickly clean processor, setting aside the grape mixture in the freezer while prepping the pineapple.
In a clean food processor, puree the frozen pineapple pieces, also adding in half the milk, cream cheese and water as needed to the desired texture (chunky or smooth).
Fold the two mixtures together while still soft in a freezer-friendly container. Note: Combine half as much grape as pineapple mix to ensure retaining the bright pink. Too much grape will dull the color. Set in freezer for at least a few hours to set. The frozen “shorbet” will keep in the freezer for up to 2 months (good luck with that!!).
