Not Technically Cooking: Apricot Sherbet

Some of the sticklers out there might say that dropping toppings on a frozen pie doesn't actually count as cooking. This recipe from Good Housekeeping's Quick 'n' Easy Cook Book should keep them merrily in their snit, as there's no application of heat to foodstuffs. It's not technically cooking, folks!

Apricot Sherbet

2 cans apricot nectar (1 1/2 cups)
2 tablsp. kirsh; or 2 teasp. almond extract

Mix together the apricot nectar and kirsch. Pour mixture into ice cube tray, and freeze, stirring occasionally, until mushy. Serve sherbet at once.

Makes 6 servings

See? No heat at all!

Please note: this won't work in plastic ice cube trays, folks. You'll need proper old fashioned aluminum trays, and you can leave out the cube dividers. Don't have metal ice trays? Use a freezer-safe, not non-stick pan that you might bake brownies in, or a loaf pan (also freezer-safe, also not Telflon-ed).

The kirsch adds flavor, but the alcohol also helps keep a nice texture for the sherbet -- alcohol freezes at a much lower temperature than the nectar alone.

What I love about this: you don't need an ice cream churn or freezer to make a frozen confection. Okay, I'll admit to owning a small Krups ice cream machine, but not having to freeze a chamber, pull out the engine, etc. certainly has its appeal.

My dad talks fondly of making pineapple sherbet out of canned pineapple and not much else when he was a kid. This reminds me of that. Dad doesn't share many happy childhood memories, so each one is very special to me. If this recipe doesn't seem quite special enough for you, you can always try Julia Child's rather more involved apricot sherbet recipe

Does anyone have any idea why Good Housekeeping chose to abbreviate tablespoon and teaspoon the way they did? I haven't seen it in other books.