REVIEW: Indiscreet by Carolyn Jewel & RECIPE: Pomegranate Sherbet

I know what you're thinking. What are a review for a romance novel and a recipe for pomegranate sherbet doing in the same post, right? Well, it's quite simple really. I was invited to read Indiscreet by Carolyn Jewel and participate in a group discussion with Lea (Closetwriter), Renee (Renee's Book Addiction) and Carolyn (The Thrillionth Page) --three smart, articulate and fun women. While reading the novel, I was inspired by the wonderful descriptions of the sights, sounds, smells and flavors of the exotic setting to create a recipe for pomegranate sherbet that was served and eaten in the story. So naturally, I'm posting about the book and the recipe at the same time.

First things first, the book. Indiscreet is a fantastic read. It's an historical novel that takes place during the regency England time period, but nearly all of the story takes place in the exotic location of Turkey. Indiscreet is very romantic and the characters and their stories are incredibly well written and hence very believable. The author expertly articulated the exotic setting of Turkey and which, for me, added a layer to the story that just captured my senses and made this story even more memorable.

To read more about what I and my Indiscreet cohorts thought about this novel, visit our group discussion on Lea's blog HERE, where she's also giving away a copy of the book!

For a second chance to win a copy of Indiscreet, visit Renee's blog HERE!

And if that isn't enough, visit Carolyn HERE where does an interpretive dance of Indiscreet. What?! We're just going to let anything go with Carolyn over the next several weeks since she's probably quite beside herself in excitement and distraction as her debut novel Mind Games comes out in 50 days. So yeah. Interpretive dance at Carolyn's place!

Finally, my inspired recipe for Pomegranate Sherbet. Several of the main characters in Indiscreet, including our lead couple, Sabine Godard and Edward, the Marquess of Foye, bump into each other in a hot and busy marketplace and indulge in sherbet. I loved the way everyone chose orange, yet Sabine chose pomegranate. It's such a small detail, even somewhat irrelevant, yet to me, it somewhat asserted her character. She's strong, independent, and confident in her individuality. Or maybe I'm reading way too much into that and she just prefers pomegranates over oranges.

Fruit sherbets are generally easier to make than ice creams as they're usually a simple blend of fruit juice, sugar and milk or cream, and I'm very pleased with the results of this recipe. The sweet and tart of the pomegranate is nicely balanced and it's very smooth and delicately creamy. Very delicious. I hope you give it a try.

Pomegranate Sherbet

2 large pomegranates
OR 1 1/2 cups commercial pomegranate juice
1 cup granulated sugar
1 pint half and half
2 teaspoons vodka or Grand Marnier, optional

Note: The alcohol has a much lower freezing point than the juice and cream, so it helps keep the sherbet creamy and not icy. It can be omitted.

Juice your pomegranates. And uh.. good luck with that. Not such an easy task. ;)

Combine pomegranate juice with sugar, half and half, and the vodka or Grand Marnier, if using, in a large bowl, stirring with a wire whisk until well blended and sugar has dissolved.

Refrigerate juice mixture until very cold then process in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturers instructions.

Transfer sherbet into an airtight container and freeze for 1-4 hours until more firm. Then scoop, serve, and savor.

Enjoy! :)