Melt

Summer is (kind of) arriving here in Portland, meaning that we've had 2 days in a row of sun! Sun means markets, and in the Pacific Northwest it means meals that are made from things grown in our neighborhood. Dinner last night consisted of grilled asparagus, portabella mushroom steaks, and a home-grown mixed green salad. Dessert? A strawberry-rhubarb sorbet. The color was fantastic! And all natural! Ingredient list? Short. Process? Easy. Presentation? Beautiful. I attempted to make an ice bowl, but I think I didn't take enough time to let it freeze, so it was partially cracked. Lovely nonetheless. And it will be made again.

These beet greens and some arugula, both from our garden, mixed with some kale to create a tasty little salad. I massaged them with olive oil, and actually forgot to dress it. The greens have so much flavor they could hold their own without anything else.

 The herbs in the bowl were from the front yard--lavendar, rosemary, and lemon balm. They are in fact the exact same herbs from the same plants I used in the boutonnieres for our wedding three years ago. Lovely.

 Strawberry Rhubarb Sorbet 
 (adapted from Canadian Living via Kitchen Vignettes)

4 cups chopped rhubarb
2 cups chopped strawberries
A cup or so of sugar (I used Turbinado which may have made it thicker? Unsure...)

Cook the rhubarb with a little water (about 1/4 cup) until soft, around 10 minutes. (I think my rhubarb may have been on the dry side because I had to add a little more water as I went; I also cooked it on high, but a simmer might have been better.) Add the sugar and simmer for another 10 minutes.  Allow to cool. Puree the rhubarb with the strawberries in a food processor and freeze in a shallow pan for about 4 hours (I did 3 hours and it was plenty frozen). Break up the frozen mix into chunks (with a sturdy fork!) and return it to the food processor. Puree until very smooth and velvety, then put in a bowl and return to the freezer till serving time. 

I whipped up some coconut whipped cream to cut the sorbet. It was so rich and thick! We might have also added a bit of gin to add a little kick. Yum. 

Tom, one of our favorite dinner guests

 The ice bowl was super easy to put together, though as I said I didn't fully succeed with it. Basically get 2 plastic bowls which can nest. Put some water in the bottom of the big one and freeze until solid (I think this is where I messed up--not solid). When it is frozen, place the smaller bowl inside (it now has a little base); put something heavy (I used a tiny cast iron pan) in the bowl so it doesn't float. Place edible herbs and flowers between the two bowls, then fill the space between the bowls with water. Freeze till solid. Run a little hot water around the edge of the big bowl and a little inside the small bowl to get it apart, and you've got yourself a one-of-a-kind beauty of a bowl. There's a great video here that shows how to make it too.

 And in the morning, this is what was left: