Monday, February 1, 2010

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! :)

18 comments:

  1. Oh yum -I love Sherbets.... this receipe not only sounds good but looks good as well...

    I like how you identify that single point that highlighted Sabine's character for you...

    Love the post..

    E.H>

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  2. Yummy! I love your picture and this recipe really does sound delicious. Imagine me now doing another intepretive dance for your sherbet. I am still so impressed you did this!

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  3. Thanks, E.H.! I love Sherbets, too! I can eat frozen treats every day... even when temps are below freezing.

    Carolyn, you're sweet. Don't be impressed. It was easy. Nice dance. ;)

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  4. Mmmm...sounds wonderful! And, what a gorgeous picture!

    My husband loves to make ice cream and sorbets, so I know this will be one we have to try.

    It was so much fun working on this project with you, Christine! :-)

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  5. Christine:

    What an awesome post! I love how you tied your recipe in with that scene in the book. It was special wasn't it?

    The picture of your creation is beautiful. I love sorbets!

    Thank you again for joining in the discussion and taking time out of what I know is a very busy schedule to share your thoughts about Indiscreet!

    ((hugs))
    L

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  6. I have to say - that cover OMG Love his back! It's very distracting.

    I might try raspberries instead. I love raspberry sherbet. Even more than ice cream. And any suggestions if we don't have an ice cream maker? I would love to try this. Thanks for the great post!

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  7. Renee, definitely have your husband make this sherbet. It's definitely my best frozen recipe so far. Can you still get pomegranates in CA now or is the season over? I bought the pomegranates I used in this recipe a few weeks ago, but I don't think I see any pomegranates in the store anymore. Although, this recipe is a lot easier to make with the bottled juice! LOL.

    I had fun doing this book discussion, too! Let's do it again sometime.

    Lea, Thank YOU for making this fun book discussion happen. I had a ton of fun with you. *hugs*

    Lelsie, it's funny you should say you'd want to try this recipe with raspberries. When I tasted it, I wanted to compare it to really good quality raspberry sherbet, but the pomegranate isn't quite as tart. Puree raspberries and then add some water to the puree to make the 1 1/2 cups in a nectar like consistency.

    If you don't have an ice cream maker, I would pour the final fruit mixture into a shallow glass baking dish and freeze it. Every hour or so, I'd take it out and scrape it up with a spoon and stick it back in to freeze some more and repeat. I think that will help it freeze to a nice consistency. It needs some air to fluff it up and keep it from being too dense. I hope that helps! :)

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  8. Yum! My husband loves to make sherbert and he LOVES pomegranate... I'm giving him this recipe to make for us.

    Love these posts. :)

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  9. Christine, loved the discussion over at Lea's blog. Indiscreet is on my wishlist and I have Scandal looking at me right now wanting to be read.

    Thanks for sharing your pomegranate sherbet recipe. I think I'll just find the juice since that fruit is hard to find around here. And thanks for the recommendation on the books.

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  10. Yeah, the season is over (our pomegranate tree currently looks like a bare brown twig-bush) but in December gave lovely softball sized pomegranates. So, juice it is.

    Usually, my husband uses vanilla vodka in his creations, but grand marnier sounds tempting. I think the orange flavor would go nicely with the pomegranate!

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  11. Great post! And... Ok - that recipe made my mouth water/the idea of pomegranate sherbet. Love pomegranates.
    I'm definitely going to go get some POM Wonderful and try this - especially since I haven't used my ice cream maker in forever. (Can't seem to perfect ice cream, sadly.)

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  12. I like sherberts, but am not sure about pomegranate. Hmmm. Though it does sound good. *g*

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  13. Oh, yum! The sherbet looks divine! Interestingly, whenever I think of pomegranate I think of the Greek myth about Hades and Persephone (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hades#Persephone).

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  14. I've never tried a sherbet, but when I do, pomegranate is definitely going to be on that list. Yum!

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  15. Oh boy, this sure look like very yummy - mouth watering sherbet. And you get inspired by the novel to make your own Sherbet? You're full of surprises Christine. I might as well just read the novel see if I get that kind of inspiration! You could start your own Sherbet business and I'll order if from you!

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  16. Wow, Christine. It looks really yummy and creamy!! It's nice to see that some books can inspire ppl in RL :) Even if it's small stuff :P

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  17. Hilcia, I think you and your husband are going to love this sherbet. My teen tasted it and her eyes lit up as she said, "Mmmmm!" And you KNOW those teens can be honest, tough critics! Well, when it comes to my clothes, hair and makeup, anyway. ;p

    Armenia, Hiya! :) Good luck with winning a copy of Indiscreet! I really loved it. I actually still have Lea's copy of Scandal on my TBR, too. Oops. ;)

    Renee, you have a pomegranate tree in YOUR YARD? That is soooo freakin' cool. That's so exotic. I mean, I know they grow plentiful in Cali, but still. It's exotic for a New Jerseyan. LOL.

    I should get (or make!) some vanilla vodka for my sherbets and sorbets! What a great idea.

    Limecello, Do let me know how the recipe comes out for you. I have trouble perfecting ice cream, too. The flavor is good... but it's difficult to get that perfect texture. I think the key is to make the ice cream, freeze it for a few hours, then eat it all. The next day, my ice cream gets icy and too dense. Sherbets and sorbets are working out much better for me. Thanks for stopping by! :)

    Brandy, I think this recipe will work with other fruit juices or nectars if you're not keen on pomegranate.

    orannia, you're just so sophisticated! ;)

    Tracy, you did a fabulous job showcasing pomegranates on your blog over the holidays. This fruit does photograph well, too, doesn't it? I have a post that I never finished regarding the art of juicing a pomegranate that was quite fun to photograph and write. I should finish that...

    Natalie, you're so sweet. I'll be honest and say it is not very often that a novel inspires me to make my own sherbet, but this one certainly did.

    nath, Pomegranate Sherbet is not small stuff. Okay, maybe it is. ;o)

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  18. The sherbet and the book cover look delicious!

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