Who would think about ouzo flavoured ice? At first, we did not. But, when we repeated the words "ouzo sorbet... ouzo sorbet..." we realized how delightful and light that sounded. Every once in a while, most Greeks will partake in a shot of ouzo. We use it when we marinate seafood, we use it when we feel cold, we use it for a toothache, and we use it to celebrate. Ouzo can be for many occasions, so why not dessert?
When you are offered ouzo as an aperitif (a drink), it is served either neat (in a glass), or on the rocks (on ice). You will also be served a glass of water. We haven't figured out why a glass of water accompanies Greek treats like coffee, glyko tou koutaliou (spoon sweets), and ouzo, but it does. So, you get this glass of water to drink with your ouzo. Or, you could mix it with your ouzo. That is when the magic happens!
When mixing ouzo with water, or even putting it on ice, the clear, fragrant ouzo will turn into a white, milky beverage. Do you know why? We will try to answer that, but first, we should address what ouzo actually is. Ouzo is an anise-flavoured liqueur that made in a distillery that uses copper stills. This is the traditional way, and from what we understand, the modern way, too. The flavour of anise was originally from the seeds of the anise plant which were added to ethyl alcohol. And now, there are often other flavours added to enhance the anise, including cinnamon, cloves, or coriander. By adding flavours, or even just using the anise, the essential oils of the seeds create the fragrance and the taste of ouzo. It is the oils from those seeds, which are essential oils, that do not dissolve in water -- they get thick and cloudy. The essential oils do, however, dissolve in alcohol, which is why the ouzo is a clear liqueur. It is the essential oils in the drink that make the ouzo white when we add water or pour it over ice because they are not dissolving. And, over the years, we have also learned that by adding a little water or ice, the lovely fragrance is set free, out of the glass, and can fill the air with the sweet spice.
Back to making sorbet. We like ouzo and we like sorbet. With the warmer weather setting in, we are always looking for a little something to have on hand for guests or for ourselves. Sorbet is a great answer, because you need only a spoonful or two to be satisfied, and it stays in the freezer, so it is always "on hand". Today, we have decided to take two good things, mix them together, and get one lovely treat.
For this recipe, you will need the following:
1 cup of sugar
3 cups of water (about 750 mL)
7 TBSP ouzo
a 1 qt. (1 L) plastic or glass container
space in the freezer
First, make a syrup from the sugar and water. We have made syrup a million times, and each time, we think about "last time", or "next time" how we should try something different with making syrup. But, the fact is that there is one correct way, and why bother changing a method that works?
Add the water to the sugar in a pot. Mix it up a bit to dissolve some of the sugar. Bring this mixture to a boil over medium-high to high heat. Let it boil for about 5 minutes, then simmer for 5 minutes. Simmer means to turn down the heat to medium-low or low, and allow the pot to stay on the heat for 5 to 10 minutes.
Then, for this recipe, turn off the burner, and let the pot sit there until it has cooled a bit. Usually, we wait for the burner light to turn off, indicating that the burner is no longer hot, therefore, the pot should not be too hot, either.
Once the syrup has cooled some (should be touch-able), then add the ouzo. We wanted to know exactly how much 7 TBSP of ouzo was in other measurement terms, so we measured with our measuring spoons, then put the ouzo into a measuring cup to see the quantity all together. 7 Tablespoons of ouzo was about (approximately) 1/3 cup. Interesting. We wondered if making the sorbet with 1/3 cup of ouzo would still work, or did we need to be exact and use the scant 1/3 cup? Well, we stuck to the seven tablespoons, without adding extra for a few reasons. We will explain after.
Mix the syrup and ouzo very well, and pour it into a covered container. You need to make sure there is a little extra room in the container, because this will expand as it freezes. Put the covered container in the freezer and wait. Every 2 hours, we are going to mix this or shake it to assure a softness that comes with ice desserts. We have known some people to freeze the mixture completely (overnight) and then put it into the blender or food processor to chop it into a fine ice, then re-freeze it until use. We have tried this with other flavours of sorbet. For us, the texture is not quite as smooth, nor is it as consistent. You have to blend it very very well from a large frozen ice cube into shavings. The other concern about that method is the blender -- some blenders will not be able to handle chopping through that much ice, so please know the limits of your equipment. Perhaps you have an ice cream machine. That, too, will work here. But, if you don't have the appliances, then you can mix or shake the ouzo sorbet every two hours to continue moving the ice crystals and the alcohol so there is no opportunity to freeze in big chunks, and everything stays somewhat granular.
After 2 hours in the freezer, the sorbet looked like this picture below. Nothing really different about the appearance shows on camera, but there were several ice chunks floating on top. The sorbet is on the way to freezing!
After 4 hours in the freezer, the sorbet looked like the pictures below. The sorbet had started to thicken and became very slushy. You could actually start to eat this right now, but wait for a few more hours and it will be all frozen and less drippy.
After 8 hours in the freezer, the sorbet was ready to serve. It scooped nicely, and held its shape. The picture below will show you tha tthe entire container full has solidified enough to be spooned into serving dishes or glasses. It will have the consistency or texture of Italian Ice -- a hard slush.
So, now is the time to enjoy a little sorbet. It is light, refreshing, and available. We are not sure that having ouzo is one hundred percent appropriate for Great Lent, but we know that there are no animal products in this recipe! So, put this recipe in the back of your head, or the back of your freezer, and enjoy it later in May, or for your summer holiday.
Some things to remember while making this are the following:
- Alcohol does not freeze. If you decide that you want to add more ouzo, you should be prepared for a thin, runny product. The idea of adding alcohol when making your own frozen desserts is that the alcohol gets evenly distributed throughout the dessert, and allows the ice to form around the alcohol. This creates "pockets" in between the ice crystals, which is what gives that light, almost airy texture.
- Ouzo is more potent than you imagine. Ouzo typically has an alcohol proof of 80 (40%), and it is going into this dish without cooking. That means that we have not burned off any of that alcohol content. Even though it is mixed with sugar and water, it is still contains a noticeable amount of alcohol.
- This should be made a day or two before you need to use it. Freezing takes time and patience. If you want this dessert for the same day, you should have a "Quick Freeze" in your freezer. Otherwise, it really does take a day just to mix it, let it set, then mix it, and let it set... until it is right. This product will stay in the freezer for up to 4 weeks, covered, so give yourself the time to make it properly.
- Ouzo sorbet is best served with something else. You could serve this as is, in a cup or a glass, but it is a great way to showcase the essence of anise by partnering it with something else. The trick to this is that you don't want any food that has a strong flavour, so you may choose a cookie, a piece of baklava, or a plain cake. Now that we are fasting, we have found that the ouzo sorbet goes best with fruit like strawberry, watermelon, or citrus. You can even use fruit as a garnish.
"He who busies himself with the sins of others, or judges his brother on suspicion, has not yet even begun to repent or to examine himself so as to discover his own sins..."
St. Maximos the Confessor (Third Century on Love no. 55)
Source of quote: http://theodorakis.net/orthodoxquotescomplete.html
Thanks for sharing a wonderful-looking recipe! I'm hoping I can convince myself to wait until Pascha to try it! ; )
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