CHAPTER XI WATER ICES AND SHERBETS Water Ices Water ices and sherbets are not strictly dairy products as they do not always contain milk. The water ices are made from fruit juices diluted with water, sweetened, and frozen. Sherbets have practically the same composition but contain in addition egg albumen and sometimes gelatin. Water ices are of variable composition and richness, some being made almost entirely of fruit juices highly sweetened and frozen, while others are very much diluted and lightly flavored and sweetened. As a rule these ices have a more or less granular texture. The following formulas are given as characteristic ices of the simplest kind. Lemon Ice 3 gals. water IO lbs. sugar 3 pts. lemon juice Mix all the ingredients. When the sugar is well dissolved, freeze the mixture until fairly firm before removing from the freezer. It will be seen that this is nothing but a frozen lemonade. A pint of orange juice would improve the mix ture. Orange ice is made by using three pints of orange juice and a half pint of lemon juice with the other constituents as given above. Pineapple Ice 3 gals. water I pt. lemon juice 1⁄2 gal. grated pineapple Preparing the fruit. In preparing the lemon juice for this mixture peel the lemons carefully, cut them in halves, and remove the seeds before squeezing. The pineapples must be thoroughly ripe and juicy. Pare them and remove the cores, crush or grate them, and strain the pulp. The juice should be used as soon after it has been prepared as possible. Preserved fruits, dried fruits, jellies and prepared fruit juices may be used if fresh fruits are not available, but the results as a rule are not so satisfactory. As ordinarily made, ices are more or less granular in texture, but by a little extra work in preparing and freezing the mixture it is possible to make an ice with a very smooth texture. To make ices of very smooth texture the sugar and water should be cooked to a clear syrup, strained, and cooled. The prepared fruit juice is then added and the mixture frozen by packing with a slow freezing mixture (1 to 15) and running the freezer at high speed for 15 to 20 minutes. Freezing and packing. The texture a given batch `of ice will have when finished will depend to a considerable extent upon the manner of freezing and packing. Rapid freezing and freezing with but little agitation, tend to produce a coarse, granular texture. Cooking, as described. above, with slower freezing and thorough agitation, tend to produce a finer texture. It will be noticed that ices contain no stabilizer of any sort; consequently, they melt very rapidly and it will be found much more difficult to keep them packed in good condition. The ice used in packing should be finely crushed and should contain somewhat more salt than is used in packing ice cream. Sherbets Sherbets, as usually made, are very similar to the ices, both in flavor and appearance, but differ from them in composition. The sherbets always contain eggs and frequently a stabilizer also, but the ices do not. By careful freezing and proper packing sherbets may be made to resemble ice cream in appearance and texture. The fine texture of sherbets is due to the egg albumen and other stabilizers used in the mix. Lemon and orange sherbet may be made by following the formula given for ices with the addition of the whites of one dozen eggs. The formula should therefore be as follows: Lemon Sherbet (For about five gallons) 3 gals. water 10 lbs. sugar 3 pts. lemon juice I pt. orange juice Grate the rinds of about six of the lemons, add it to a part of the sugar, mix well and add this mixture to the fruit juices. The water and the rest of the sugar should be cooked to form a clear syrup and cooled. The fruit juices should then be added and the mixture strained and standardized to a density of 20 degrees on the syrup gauge. The egg whites should be beaten to a stiff froth and may be added to the mixture when it is placed in the freezer. A second method of making sherbets, which gives splendid results but requires more time, is as follows: Cook the sugar and water to a clear syrup, strain while hot, and set away to cool. Add the prepared fruit juices and the other constituents, except the whites of the eggs, and freeze for about 15 minutes. Add 12 teaspoonfuls of finely powdered sugar to the whites of the eggs and beat to a stiff froth. Open the freezer, scrape down the can, and add the beaten eggs; stir them in thoroughly until smooth. Repack the freezer and set away to harden. Pineapple Sherbet (For five gallons) 3 gals. water Whites of 12 eggs 12 lbs. sugar I pt. lemon juice 1⁄2 gal. grated pineapple 2 oz. gelatin (if desired) Follow the directions given for lemon and orange sherbet, but be sure to remove the peel of the lemons before squeezing them. Thanksgiving Day special. A sherbet for which there is considerable demand on certain occasions, such as Thanksgiving, is made as follows: (For about five gallons) 3 qts. cranberries 12 lbs. sugar 3 gals. water Whites of 12 eggs 2 oz. gelatin Boil the cranberries, sugar, and water. When the berries are cooked strain out the juice; add the melted gelatin, cool, adjust the density of the mix to 20 degrees on the syrup gauge, and freeze. When the mixture is partly frozen, work in the beaten whites and stir until the whole batch is smooth and uniform throughout. Other sherbets may be made according to this formula by substituting the proper fruit juice. Some of the fruits that are only mildly acid must be used in larger amounts. As a rule such fruits as strawberry, peach, cherry and any other fruits of mild acidity may be used at the rate of one quart of crushed fruit or fruit juice to the gallon of water. In connection with these, lemon juice should be added at the rate of 21⁄2 ounces to the gallon of water, sugar at the rate of three to four pounds to the gallon of water, and the whites of four eggs for each gallon of water. Except in lemon sherbets and where otherwise noted, the peel of the lemon and the seeds should be removed before squeezing. Freezing. It rquires more time to freeze a sherbet properly than to freeze ice cream, but when properly frozen the two will be very much alike in appearance and texture. |