Summer Ice : Chocolate in the Off-Season

For most cooks, summer is the time when chocolate is “out of season,� when warm weather and a wealth of good fresh fruit make other desserts more appealing. Most cooks, however, are not friends with Annie “the chocolate queen,� a dear old pal I no longer see except during summer vacation.

It’s become a tradition. She and her family, chocolate lovers all, come to stay next door. I make some chocolate dish to welcome them.

When I first made this chocolate-and-orange sorbet, I thought it was so rich that one tablespoon would do per serving. But the stuff always seems to disappear. Small servings are definitely called for, but there’s nothing wrong with that--it cuts down on calories. So does the absence of dairy products, though this sorbet is still to be filed under “indulgence� rather than “health.� As a bonus, it’s very easy to make. Be sure to allow plenty of time for all the chilling.

SUPER CHOCOLATE AND ORANGE SORBET

2 large oranges, or enough to make 1 cup juice

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

Dash salt

6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

Using 1/8-inch holes on grater, grate enough zest from oranges to equal 2 teaspoons. Place in small saucepan and set aside. Squeeze 1 cup orange juice and set aside.

Combine sugar and salt in saucepan with zest. Add 1 1/4 cups water. Over low heat bring to simmer, stirring frequently. Cook until sugar is completely dissolved and thin syrup is formed, 2 to 3 minutes.

Place chocolate in heat-proof bowl. Pour in hot orange syrup and stir constantly until chocolate melts, then let mixture cool to room temperature.

Strain chocolate mixture through fine sieve to get smooth sorbet without chewy bits of zest. Stir in orange and lemon juices, cover and refrigerate several hours or overnight, until mixture is thoroughly chilled. (Without thorough pre-chilling, it will freeze up heavy and coarse.)

Mixture may be frozen without benefit of special machinery, but it will be smoother if ice cream maker is used.

To freeze ice creams and sorbets without ice cream freezer:

Pour well-chilled mixture into shallow, non-reactive container such as glass baking pan. Place in coldest part of freezer 1 hour, or until there is 1-inch rim of frozen material around edge. Working as quickly as possible, beat with fork to mix. Return to freezer and repeat when there is again 1 inch of frozen material. After second beating wait until about three-quarters is solid. Then stir 1 more time and let finish undisturbed. Makes about 1 quart, or 8 servings.

Each serving contains about:

225 calories; 31 mg sodium; trace cholesterol; 8 grams fat; 41 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams protein; 0.41 gram fiber.

*

A summery version of an old favorite. These cookies are big and tender, with chewy nuggets of dried cherry and serious chunks of white chocolate.

CHERRY-VANILLA-WHITE CHOCOLATE CHUNK COOKIES

4 1/4 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups butter

1 1/4 cups vanilla sugar or granulated sugar

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon almond extract

3 ounces dried cherries, about 3/4 cup, coarsely chopped

9 ounces white chocolate, chopped to lima-bean-sized chunks.

Combine flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In large mixing bowl, cream butter with sugar until very light and fluffy.

Add eggs 1 at time, beating well after each addition, then beat in vanilla and almond extracts. Stir in cherries. Press cherries against bowl with back of spoon to separate clumps.

Add flour mixture all at once. Stir in gently, working dough as little as possible. When no longer floury, add white chocolate chunks and mix completely.

Drop dough on buttered baking sheets by rounded tablespoons, keeping cookies well separated. Slightly flatten each cookie with fingertips. Bake at 350 degrees until edges are light brown, about 15 minutes. Cool on wire racks and store airtight. Makes about 40 cookies.

Each cookie contains about:

174 calories; 162 mg sodium; 36 mg cholesterol; 10 grams fat; 20 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams protein; 0.05 gram fiber.

Note : Vanilla sugar is granulated sugar that has been stored in closed jar with split vanilla bean, which leaves intense, unfading flavor quite different from that of extract. One bean can be used over and over. Keep replacing sugar up to 1 year. Vanilla sugar and dried cherries are sold in many grocery, specialty and health food stores.