Go ahead, have a treat

This is the funny transitional time of year, when it’s hot outside and you want to cool off with a cool cup of sorbet; but when  it’s also starting to feel like autumn, and the apples hanging heavy on trees along the roadways are really tempting.

I was looking for recipes online and found one that suits both urges. It’s on the website for Rival, a company that makes ice cream machines (the site is rivalproducts.com, and you can buy Rival ice cream makers at K-Mart).  

It would be a lie if I said that sorbet is totally healthy. Of course all sorbets have sugar in them. But they are also light and refreshing, and they are lower in calories than ice cream. If you have an ice cream machine, you can also make your own, and that way you can have some control over the ingredients and add as much or as little sugar as your tastebuds can stand.

You can also use fresh, local fruits (or cider, in this case), which is good from that locavore point of view. They do say that eating food grown in the place where you live helps fortify your immune system.

And of course, apples and cider are good for you. The thing about cider, as opposed to clear apple juice, is that a lot of the nutrients remain, so it’s almost like eating a real apple. Apples are loaded with potassium, which is good for your muscles and helps you avoid leg cramps. They have a lot of fiber, including pectin (which is a kind of fiber, and also helps to give body to homemade jams), and that not only is good for  your digestion, it can also clean the cholesterol from the walls of your blood vessels.

Best of all, of course, is that apples are sweet and delicious and put you in the mood for fall.

Apple cider sorbet

Adapted from
rivalproducts.com

Makes 4 quarts

4 cups apple cider, 2 cups sugar, 1 teaspoon whole cloves, 3 whole cinnamon sticks, 4 cups unsweetened applesauce, 2 cups cranberry juice, 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

Combine the apple cider, cloves, sugar and cinnamon in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Boil for 5 minutes and remove from heat.

Take out the cloves, and cinnamon sticks with a slotted spoon and toss them.

Stir in apple sauce, cranberry and lemon juices. Cover and refrigerate for one hour, then freeze in your ice cream maker, according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Latest News

Tuning up two passions under one roof

The Webb Family in the workshop. From left: Phyllis, Dale, Ben and Josh Webb, and project manager Hannah Schiffer.

Natalia Zukerman

Magic Fluke Ukulele Shop and True Wheels Bicycle Shop are not only under the same roof in a beautiful solar powered building on Route 7 in Sheffield, but they are also both run by the Webb family, telling a tale of familial passion, innovation and a steadfast commitment to sustainability.

In the late ‘90s, Dale Webb was working in engineering and product design at a corporate job. “I took up instrument manufacturing as a fun challenge,” said Dale. After an exhibit at The National Association of Music Merchants in Anaheim, California, in 1999, The Magic Fluke company was born. “We were casting finger boards and gluing these things together in our basement in New Hartford and it just took off,” Dale explained. “It was really a wild ride, it kind of had a life of its own.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Robert Cray’s soulful blues coming to Infinity Hall

Robert Cray

Photo provided

Blues legend Robert Cray will be bringing his stinging, funky guitar and soulful singing to Infinity Hall Norfolk on Friday, March 29.

A five-time Grammy winner, Cray has been inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame and earned The Americana Music Awards Lifetime Achievement for Performance. He has played with blues and rock icons including Albert Collins, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, The Rolling Stones, Tina Turner, Eric Clapton and many more.

Keep ReadingShow less