Herb of the evening: rosemary
I have been adding herbs in everything lately, even just chewing on some dried sage is quite divine. Food and more specifically nutrition is about the little things to me, right down to the fresh herbs. There are a lot of bioactive compounds in herbs that can be a part of any healthy diet.
Check out these two research articles, about the benefits and medicinal properties of sage and the activity of rosemary’s chemical compounds on hepatic oxidative stress.
Recipe Redux inspired me this month to create a “healthy recipe with spirit.” I knew immediately bourbon was my go-to liquor of choice, as always..
I wanted to showcase bourbon in all its glory while maintaining a healthy profile as well. Last week in the cooking class at the VA hospital that I volunteer for, we made a fruit sorbet from frozen bananas, strawberries and some 100% fruit juice.
Then I thought, what could make sorbet taste better?
Uhh, bourbon? Yeah.
So with that and peaches being in season and AMAZING lately (so juicy), I decided on a peach bourbon sorbet.
I needed something more though, that’s where the rosemary came in.
..Oh and the toasted pecans with honey, rosemary, himalayan salt, vanilla and olive oil.
I like to be thorough, I like my food to mean something to me.
That being said, I decided to caramelize the peaches to add some depth to the overall flavor. I would recommend caramelizing them, but I would also not hesitate to just throw in some fresh peaches if you so desire.
Let me tell you that I felt the pressure to get a good photograph of this sorbet. I always challenge myself with that thought with all of my recipes, but sorbets are so temperamental, melting all over the place. C’mon sorbets. It took me three days to contemplate the idea on how I wanted to capture this creation. I couldn’t rush it, it had to come to me. After swapping out melted bowls of sorbet for frozen ones in the freezer, I was stoked and so relieved when I got the one. Ya know, you just look at a photo and it feels right.
Temperamental sorbet is so worth it..Seemingly intricate, but quite feasible and delicious in the end.
When you make this sorbet, I’d like you to take into account the ingredients and how they are supporting your health. As previously mentioned, the herbs and local, seasonal peaches. The bourbon, well because who doesn’t feel a bit better after some bourbon ;) For real though, moderate alcohol consumption may prevent blood clots and raise HDL levels. I wouldn’t recommend starting to drink if you already don’t, but I believe responsible alcohol consumption can be a part of a healthy lifestyle.
Moreover, savor the tastes your palate is experiencing, be mindful of this healthier dessert that you are consuming, that you made yourself.
Ingredients:
Sorbet:
2 cup sliced frozen bananas
1 cup caramelized peaches
~1/4 C bourbon (recommend starting out with 1 tbsp, increasing successively guided by taste preference)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1-3 tsp dried rosemary, crushed
Toasted pecans:
I DIDN’T MEASURE THIS, so I’ve listed measurement approximations
~3/4 cup pecans
1-2 tsp dried + crushed rosemary
1-2 tsbp honey (I used local wildflower)
1-2 tbsp olive oil
.5-1 tsp vanilla extract
bourbon (optional)
pinch himalayan salt
Caramelized peaches:
2-3 peaches, peeled if you can
1 T coconut palm sugar
1-2 tsp dried + crushed rosemary
1/8 tsp himalayan salt
.5 tsp vanilla
few splashes of bourbon
Directions, peaches:
(temperamental sorbet melting on me w/ caramelized peach)
Cut peaches into slices.
Sprinkle a pinch of salt, coconut palm sugar and crushed fresh rosemary. Drizzle a bit of honey on top
Place in skillet
If you didn’t peel the peaches prior to cooking, I found that placing them skin side touching the pan and adding a bit of water to pan will soften the skins, allowing you to easily remove the skins. It’s not really a big deal if you don’t remove them early on. My preference for removing them was because they retain the seasoning and caramelized sugar, so when you peel them later they will taste totally yum, but you will have a bare bottom peach. Continue cooking if desired, don’t be too strict.
Sauté on medium-high until the peaches become soft and caramelized
Add bourbon and let sizzle
Turn off heat and set aside to let cool
Toasted pecans:
This method of preparing the nuts on a skillet will create more of a wet, sticky nut. I feel the texture paired well with the sorbet, as the frozen banana and fruit base holds a more delicate texture than that of say, ice-cream.
place olive oil, honey and crushed rosemary in a skillet on medium heat
warm for a minute or two until mixture starts to melt
add in pecans and stir
add salt
sauté until mixture starts to caramelize and pecans become toasty, you will start to smell it (I added a bit of bourbon at the end, you can do so as well if you please)
a taste test always help
keep in mind though that the nuts will harden up once cooled so cease cooking as the nuts become toasted to avoid burning.
place nuts on parchment or wax paper to dry
Sorbet:
Add all sorbet ingredients in food processor and blend until creamy texture is achieved. Add more or less flavors, bourbon, and seasonings to your preference.
Top with candied pecans and more caramelized peaches if you have any left over.
Serve immediately
Store in air-tight container in freezer if you’d like to save any. It’ll need to thaw a bit before consumption if you leave it in there for an extended amount of time. Place in refrigerator or on room temperature counter to thaw.
Enjoy xx
Look it’s me :D
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I’ve never tried bourbon but everything about this recipe sounds delicious!
Ooo bourbon is my fave :) thank you Jill
I love peaches so much, and this sounds wonderful! I am doing a roundup of no-churm vegan ice creams this week and would love to include you! Would it be okay for me to include a photo with a link?
I would love to be a part of your recipe roundup, definitely count me in. Photo and link to my site is great.
Thanks Kelly
Thank you! Here is the roundup:
http://theprettybee.com/2014/07/32-churn-vegan-ice-cream-recipes.html
Gorgeous photos! I agree with Jill, everything about this recipe sounds delicious!
Thankya Debbie, hope you try it
this looks amazing! well played
Thanks miss :)
Oh heavens, this is like 3 wonderful mini recipes – love all the flavors and textures you got going on with this lovely dessert.
Thank you Deanna. Yeah I took so many photos for this lol it was ridiculous. So worth it in the end though, all the flavors come together wonderfully.
this sounds awesome. every bit of it. and your photos are inspiring.
thanks Gretchen. Food is art to me, I’m glad you appreciate my photography
I love everything about this recipe! Sweet & savory combos are the best!
Thanks Lisa! Yeah I’ve been putting herbs in everything lately, so good
Wow this looks amazing! The combination of peaches and bananas along with the roasted pecans, oh my!
xoxo Sarah Grace, Fresh Fit N Healthy.
Yeahhhh you cannot go wrong with peaches ‘n pecans :)
This is pretty gorgeous. And I am so intrigued by the flavors.
Thanks Maria, I found the flavors to be oh so purrfect :3
Oh my goodness I can’t decide what I like most about your recipe… the bourbon… the roasted pecans… the salted honey… or the caramelized peaches…!?!? You seriously hit it out of the park with this one. I am so impressed with this recipe and the fact that it sounds so intricate and complicated but the recipe really doesn’t seem hard. Bravo!
Awe thanks Meme <3 It seems complicated but it's quite easy! There's just a few steps, but everything was simple to make and fun too..
Appreciate the appreciation ;)
First off, your photos turned out GORGEOUS! Second, we were definitely on the same page with peaches and bourbon this month, though the rosemary sounds like an amazing addition!
Much thanks Dana :)
And yeah! Your peaches turned out awesome..always gotta love the bourbon
What an amazing combo of flavors! And yes, photographing sorbet is difficult as I discovered this month too. Great job!
Loved your wine sorbet idea for real, I’m going to have to try that..Yeah in the future I’ll probably only be eating the sorbet rather than photographing it lol
Boozy sorbet for the win! Love the addition of toasted pecans- so fancy!
Thankya :) Super easy too
wow interesting recipe, love it, nice pictures.
Thanks Amallia, I try to experiment with various flavors