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Watermelon Lemonade Sorbet & Giveaway
June 29, 2011
Last week, the book that I had been waiting to read for years - Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home by Jeni Britton Bauer - finally arrived on my door step. Yes, years.
When I first encountered Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams in Columbus, OH several years ago, I knew it was something special. The care and detail that was put into every scoop and every flavor was beyond comparison. I probably ate a scoop of Jeni's almost every week, maybe more. Before I moved away from Ohio, I had the opportunity to attend an ice cream seminar with Jeni Britton Bauer. During the seminar, Jeni enthusiastically discussed her love for ice cream, the importance of fresh, flavorful ingredients, and the excitement of experimenting with ice cream flavors. Jeni demonstrated how to make a homemade ice cream base she had developed for an article in Food and Wine magazine. A departure from other homemade ice cream recipes, this version excluded eggs and included other ingredients, such as cream cheese and cornstarch, to ensure a soft and scoopable texture. I walked away from the seminar inspired to create my own flavors.
As soon as I returned home from the seminar I made a batch of homemade vanilla ice cream using Jeni's ice cream base recipe. I tasted it and I was in heaven - I had found my muse. I already preferred the non-custard version of ice cream, and I was now armed with a fool proof ice cream base recipe with which I could easily experiment with different flavor profiles. It was then that I began my journey toward finding the perfect scoop.
I knew after the first time I made Jeni's ice cream base that a book was in her future. And thus, in a way, I waited years for the book to arrive on my doorstep. When the book finally arrived in the mail last week, I hastily tore open the package and began flipping through the glossy pages. The book is organized by seasons, which speaks to Jeni's passion about using fresh, in-season ingredients. I found recipes for many of my favorite Jeni's flavors such as Gravel Road and Wildberry Lavender. The photography in the book is spot on, highlighting the enticing simplicity of a scoop ice cream. In addition to discussing tips about making ice cream, Jeni shares stories about the farmers and artisans who supply the ingredients for her ice cream, giving a personal touch to this already inviting book.
Which recipe did I decide to make first? I flipped through the summer section and landed on a recipe for Watermelon Lemonade Sorbet. I decided to make the recipe partly out of necessity (I had a large container of watermelon in my fridge) and because the scoop sounded perfect for the summer and upcoming 4th of July weekend. I tried a scoop of this sorbet at a Jeni's store just before moving to New Orleans and I remember that it was sweet and refreshing.
As the sorbet churned in the machine, I continued to flip through the pages of Jeni's book. So many favorites, so many recipes, and so much information. How could an ice cream lover like me live without this book? You can't! So I'm giving it away!
Want to know how you can WIN?! See below. (If you can't wait, click here to order your own copy).
Want to know more about the book? Check out the video below.
Giveaway Details
I will provide one ice cream lover with a copy of their very own Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home book. This giveaway is open to USA residents and will be open until Tuesday July 5th at 12 midnight CST.
All entries will be numbered and the winner will be chosen on July 6th at Random.org. The winner will be announced on the blog and will be notified via email, so please make sure your email address is correct. You will have 48 hours to respond to me or a new winner will be chosen.
Main Entry:
Leave a comment below and tell me about your favorite Jeni's ice cream flavor and/or why you want this book. If you have never tried Jeni's ice cream before, then just tell me about your favorite ice cream flavor or experience. Or you can just say Hi!
Extra Entries:
To earn additional entries, complete one or more of the following steps listed below.
- Tweet about this giveaway, for example, “I just entered to win Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home from @scoopmuse. Stop by to enter the giveaway http://bit.ly/lzPVOB Pls RT"
- Follow @scoopmuse on Twitter and send me a tweet to let me know you are a new follower
- Like Scoop Adventures on Facebook and leave a comment on the wall
- Subscribe to Scoop Adventures via RSS or email (leave a comment here to tell me you subscribed)
- Stumble this post
- Blog about a recipe you found on this site (and direct me to the post via twitter or comment).
That’s a total of SEVEN chances to win! Good luck and enjoy the recipe below!
Watermelon Lemonade Sorbet
Slightly adapted from recipe in Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream at Home
4 cups cubed watermelon (about one small watermelon)
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
Place watermelon in a blender and puree until smooth. Measure 2 1/2 cups of puree and pour into a medium bowl. Save remaining puree for another use.
Combine sugar, corn syrup, lemon juice and lemon zest is a small saucepan and place over medium heat. Bring mixture to a boil and cook until the sugar dissolves (about 2 minutes). Remove from heat. Pour sugar syrup into bowl with watermelon puree and stir to combine.
Pour sorbet base into a gallon ziploc bag and seal tightly. Place the bag in an ice water bath and let stand until base is chilled, approximately 30 minutes. Once chilled, pour into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Place parchment over sorbet (to prevent ice crystals) and freeze until firm, at least 4 hours.
Reader Comments (56)
Love making homemade ice cream! Favorite flavor is cookies and cream!!
I grew up in Columbus, Ohio and miss Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams more than anything else in that city. Now living in Chicago, I still haven't found anything quite like her Queen City Cayenne or goat cheese base. Being able to create my own Jeni's-inspired ice cream would be a dream come true! I want want WANT to win this book!
My favorite Jeni's flavor is Roasted Red Cherry & Goat Cheese. I love the delightful indulgence of the creamy goat cheese that's so well balanced with the luciously tart cherry. I am able to find a limited supply of Jeni's in Chicago, at $13 a pint! I visited Columbus last weekend and made Jeni's my first stop of course! Reminded of what I am missing, I need to learn how to make Jeni's quality ice creams of my own at home!
I just started making ice cream at home, so I would LOVE to win this book! Favorite flavor (that I've made) is caramel.
Great post! Jeni's ice cream is delicious. I spent two years in Cincinnati where I could get it easily, but since I live in Massachusetts now, I should probably learn to try to make some of her flavors on my own! Everyone loves Gravel Road, but I think the Riesling Poached Pear and the Cherry Lambic are my favorites!
I live right down the street from Jeni's Short North location. I love all the flavors, but my all time favorites are Brambleberry Crisp and Cognac Fig!
Oh how timely! I just saw Jeni's ice cream at a local market and was marveling at the flavors (and also at the price tag--yikes). I would love to try the pistachio honey flavor.
My favorite Jeni's flavor by far is Backyard Mint, I look forward to it every year :D I'd really love to have this book because I just moved to Philadelphia, and while there are a few places that carry some pints in the city, the more adventurous flavors are hard to come by, so I'd LOVE to start experimenting with ice cream at home. I'm really eager to poke around the book too, I've heard wonderful things about it but missed the launch party in Columbus. Yay Jeni's!
this looks gorgeous! i don't have much of a sweet tooth, so my favorite flavors tend to be lighter - lemon or blueberry sorbets, or coffee ice cream - YUM.
I am very lucky to live in Columbus and just a short walk away from Jeni's. Oh my goodness, her entire business is amazing and making GREAT ice cream? What else could you ask for?!
(Subscribed to your RSS feeds too!) :)
I've never tried Jeni's ice cream before, but my favorite flavor is cookies and cream.
I just tweeted - https://twitter.com/ps152/status/86098922598170624
I've been obsessed with Jeni's for years now. Living in Cincinnati, I've made trips to Columbus just to get a "study" of her seasonal flavors. My all time favorite is Cherry Lambic. I've been making my own ice cream using David Lebovitz's book The Perfect Scoop and I've been anticipating Jeni's release!
I'm following you on Twitter.
I've never been to Columbus Ohio but I have been to pastry school in Chicago. There I heard many people mention the Jeni's and how it was unique but no one was quite sure how/why. Everyone has loved it and I've been curious for ages about it! I just read Urban Explorer's post saying it was sold in Chicago, I wish I had known before I moved to NYC! During the ice cream portion of school I didn't do too well. If you gave me a recipe, sure! But if you gave me the traditional ice cream formula I just didn't know what to do. "Wait, you mean I need x amount of fat to x amount of sugar to x amount of fruit = great ice cream/tremendous mouthfeel/perfect overrun?!" It made me cry. Twice. I just couldn't find a way to wrap my head around the math and its been haunting me for a while. I currently work as a pastry sous chef trying to create vegan recipes of ice creams for people with dairy allergies (like my lil' brother) and I think Jeni's methods would give me an alternate route to make this dream happen! If I wasn't so broke from the high cost of living in NYC I'd buy the book myself, but its too new to find used yet. I'd love to win this book!
I'm following you on Facebook.
i looove jeni's ice cream and my favorite item is a sundae with the chocolate ice cream, carmel sauce, and freshly made whipped cream. Yum!!
I live in CA so I haven't tried Jeni's ice cream yet. All the flavors people are talking about sound so yummy! My current craving (I'm pregnant) is cherry chocolate chip ice cream.
I love making ice cream in my Kitchen Aid attachment. My favorite flavor so far has been creamy french vanilla. YUM!
I discovered Jeni's in our city about six years ago. And now? I can't eat any ice cream but Jeni's. About two months ago, my husband and I were on vacation and I wanted ice cream. Only to be disappointed and want to head back home for our beloved Jeni's. :) Love the lime cardimon sherbet. love the salty caramel and gravel road. In fact, I love it all. :) And I really want this book!