Tuesday, August 3, 2010

The Italian Ice Craze

Are your taste buds dying to taste something new? Ever had Italian ice? It's not ice cream, just ice. Perhaps you haven't heard of it before or maybe you've heard of it but, until now, you still never could get the chance to taste it. Maybe now is the time.
Italian ice is a frozen dessert made from either concentrated syrup flavoring or fruit purees. In the some areas such as Philadelphia, it is better known as water ice. There are many different recipes for making this dessert but basically they are all the same. The main difference between them are their flavors.
It is actually very easy to make this dessert. As long as you have a freezer, you're good to go. The basic ingredients used to make it are water, sugar and the desired flavoring or fruit juice. There are many different flavors to choose from but the more common ones are cherry, coconut, champagne, chocolate, strawberry, and lemon. It really depends on your taste. You could experiment with different flavors to find which ones you like the best.
The ratio of the ingredients are 4 cups of clean water to 2 cups of sugar and 2 cups of juice of any flavor you may desire. You could adjust the ratio according to taste. Usually, for orange, lemon, or pineapple flavors, more sugar is added.
The procedure is very simple. First, you have to mix sugar and water and boil them in a saucepan or a pot. Then, slowly stir the mixture continuously until the sugar crystals are completely dissolved. Turn off the heat source and let it cool down for about 10 minutes. When it has already cooled down, add the desired flavoring then stir to make sure it is well mixed. Once done, pour down into a container put into the freezer for approximately 4 hours or until it freezes. During this period, stir it occasionally until it becomes completely frozen and ready for a scoop. Your chilly sweet dessert is now ready to serve.
To make this dessert more exciting, you could add toppings or garnishes of slices of fresh fruits such as lemons or strawberries.
Italian ice serves a variety of functions. It can be used to cleanse the palate between meals, provide cool and refreshing relief during hot and humid weather and serve as a light and tasty dessert which you could enjoy by yourself or together with family and friends.

Source : http://ezinearticles.com

No comments:

Post a Comment