This week's French Garden recipe

People who know me would tell you that it's hard to tell which I like more: gardening or cooking. I'd say it depends on which I'm doing at the moment. Anyway, French cooking and French gardening go hand in hand. For me, cooking is an on-going adventure. Join me here on my culinary explorations, where I share with you both my old favorites as well as new inspirations. It's my fondest wish that these recipes serve as a springboard for your own new creations.

02/11/2006
Citrus soup with almond milk ice cream (Soupe d'agrumes, glace au lait d'amandes)

Ingredients:

For 6 servings:

1 lb. whole almonds, blanched, including 8-10 bitter almonds if you can get them
1 c. sugar
2 c. spring water, heated to simmer
1-2 T. rose water
2 c. whole milk
Few drops almond extract (optional)

4 lbs. assorted citrus, including navel oranges, blood oranges, tangerines, mandarines, Meyer lemons, etc.
Sugar to taste
Orange blossom water to taste
Fresh mint sprigs for garnish

Begin early in the day or the day before. Blanch the almonds by bringing a saucepan of water to a boil, dumping in the almonds, leaving them for a couple of minutes, and partially draining them. Squeeze the almonds out of their skins. Put them in a food processor with the sugar and the heated spring water. Process for a few minutes until very smooth. Strain through a chinois or a strainer lined with several thicknesses of damp cheesecloth, or use a jelly-straining bag. Twist up the cheesecloth and squeeze all possible almond milk out of the almond pulp.

Heat the milk to scalding and combine with the almond milk. Stir in rose water to taste. The amount to use will depend on the character of the rose water you are using and on your own personal taste. Remember that the flavor will be less pronounced once the ice cream is frozen. If you included no bitter almonds, or if your almonds are not very flavorful, you may want to spike up the almond flavor with a few drops of almond extract. Once you are satisfied with the flavor, put away to chill. When thoroughly cold, freeze in your ice cream freezer.

Meanwhile, using a very sharp knife, carefully cut away the peel and the outside skin of the citrus fruit in a spiral, making sure to remove all signs of white pith and membrane. Then, cut down toward the center of the fruit on each side of the membranes separating the segments, creating entirely skinless sections of fruit. Stir in sugar and orange blossom water to taste. Chill.

Before serving, put serving bowls or tall parfait glasses in the freezer. Serve scoops of ice cream in a generous pool of citrus 'soup.' Garnish with fresh mint. Offer seconds of this refreshing, wonderfully perfumed dessert.

Note: The ice cream is adapted from a recipe for almond milk from Paula Wolfert's Couscous and other Good Food from Morocco. It has a very fragile flavor which quickly deteriorates in freezer storage. Consume it within a day or two.

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Try some of our past French garden recipes:

Appetizers and small dishes

Basics

Beef, pork, lamb, and veal