Jalapeño-Chocolate Sorbet

They say variety is the spice of life.

This old adage rings true to me. But sometimes I get a little too comfortable with my routine and habits. And that extends to ice cream. Eighty percent of the time, you'll find me eating mint-chocolate chip, caramel or vanilla (with sprinkles) ice cream at home. When I serve myself a bowl, I like knowing that I'll enjoy it. Nothing is worse than a disappointing ice-cream flavor. But nothing is more exciting than discovering a new flavor that I actually love. It's a balancing act that requires an open mind.

So in the spirit of variety, I listened when K requested that I develop an ice-cream recipe inspired by one of his favorite foods: jalapeños.

K wants jalapeños on anything and everything. Eggs in the morning. Sandwiches at lunchtime. With a side of jalapeño chips from Tim's Cascade. And don't even get me started on dinner! When we make pizza at home, he seriously covers every square inch with jalapeño slices. It's a wonder the guy doesn't have an ulcer.

Me? I'm a cautious jalapeño connoisseur. When applied in the right amount, jalapeños can instantly add oomph to salsa, chili, stir-fry, or a quesadilla. But there's a fine line between "yum" and "my mouth is on fire" when dealing with these little buggers. And jalapeños in ice cream? Um... not sure about that. They're not exactly a traditional dessert mix-in. But perhaps that's the point?

Last weekend, we invited two of our closest friends over for dinner. I wanted to make some ice cream (these guests  appreciate a good dessert), so I finally decided to entertain K's request.

I decided to use jalapeños with chocolate when I remembered the Mexican Chocolate I enjoyed at Little Man in Denver, Colorado. The heat from that ice cream came from cayenne powder and a hint of cinnamon. Could jalapeños work, too?

The base of this ice cream was inspired by a David Lebovitz recipe for chocolate sorbet. I'd saved it on my Pinterest page and was happy for an excuse to try it. And because it doesn't use any milk or cream, this recipe could be suitable for those avoiding lactose.

So this recipe meshes two new elements. Hot peppers and a dairy-free chocolate sorbet. Who knew how it would turn out?

Jalapeño-Chocolate Sorbet (Nearly Dairy-Free)
{Makes 1 quart}
Loosely adapted from this recipe

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups water
• 1 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup good-quality unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 tsp salt 
• 6 ounces of semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped (I used Ghirardelli 60% cacao bittersweet)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 jalapeños, sliced (de-seed 1 jalapeño for medium heat; de-seed both for mild heat)

Directions

• In a medium saucepan, whisk 1 1/2 cups of the water, the sugar, cocoa powder and salt together. Bring to a boil whisking frequently. Let it boil for 45 seconds or so, whisking continuously.
• Remove saucepan from heat. Whisk in chocolate until melted, then stir in vanilla extract, the remaining 3/4 cup water, and the sliced jalapeños. Pour the mixture into the blender and blend on a low setting for 30 seconds and then for 15 seconds on a high setting. Chill the mixture in the fridge (should take 2-4 hours).
• Pour chilled mixture into ice cream maker and freeze per the manufacturer's directions. If you're using a Cuisinart, this means 1) turn on your machine, 2) slowly pour mixture in, and 3) let the thing churn for 15 to 20 minutes.
• Serve immediately or, if a firmer consistency is desired, transfer to an airtight container and freeze until firm.

The verdict? K is convinced that this sorbet is the best ice cream or sorbet I've ever made - or will ever make. And I, too, was surprised by just how creamy, rich and interesting this concoction was. The cool, refined sweetness of the cocoa and dark chocolate was perfectly balanced with the deep, spicy heat of the jalapeños. And even though this recipe contains no cream, milk or eggs, it was rich, creamy and voluminous. The texture was closer to frozen chocolate mousse than to a traditional sorbet. This recipe got rave reviews from everyone around the table (they practically licked their bowls clean). It will definitely be part of the normal rotation around here. Heck, it might become another routine. And if you're looking for an easy ice-cream recipe that's sure to impress, this one's for you.

Dozens of Brazilian Flavors at Mil Frutas

Winter in DC has been rough. Not so much for me (I'd take extreme cold over extreme heat any day) but for K. He's an avid runner but loathes the treadmill with passion. Thus, he continues to run outside when he's in DC -- coming back with a ruby-red nose and shirts frozen with sweat. Needless to say, K was eagerly awaiting our Presidents Day trip to Rio de Janeiro in Brazil.

Like last time, K and I stayed at the Sheraton Rio Hotel & Resort (thank you, hotel points!). And once again, we spent our days lounging by the hotel pool or down along the popular beaches of Leblón and Ipanema. We both drank more than our fair share of fresh coconut water and cold caipirinhas -- two of my favorite Brazilian specialties.

While it can be difficult to eat healthily on vacation, the entire city of Rio de Janeiro seems to focus on healthy eating and active lifestyles. You don't see much fried food around, but it's easy to spot fresh fruits and vegetables on restaurant menus and in little corner markets. Thus, K and I are able to balance fun vacation indulgences with some fresh produce and super-foods. On Saturday, for example, we enjoyed a lovely dinner at Zazá Bistrõ Tropical in the Ipanema neighborhood. Seated on the restaurant's romantic outside patio, we savored crunchy cassava chips with wasabi mousse, grilled fish, smoked steak and plenty of grilled vegetables. So needless to say, we didn’t leave feeling hungry. But that didn’t stop K from suggesting an ice-cream stop.

Just another reason I love the guy ;)

In my ice-cream research before Rio, Mil Frutas popped up time and time again. Mil Frutas has many locations around the city, and the ice cream receives some glowing reviews on TripAdvisor. K checked his iPhone and lo and behold, there was a shop several blocks away from us!

After an enjoyable stroll down the street, we spotted the well-lit storefront.

I was excited to see just how long the menu is at Mil Frutas. In fact, they might offer more ice-cream flavors than any other place I've been to?

Mil Frutas loosely divides their ice creams into several categories, including “sabores de frutas” (fruit flavors) and “sabores cremosos” (creamy flavors). There are also several "sabores light", but who cares about the diet ice cream flavors? Not me!

I tested K's patience by studying the menu for far longer than necessary. Not only was I trying to loosely translate the flavors from Portuguese to English, but I wasn't sure what I was in the mood for...

Some of the local Brazilian flavors such as Coco, Açaí, and Tapioca sounded delicious. And while I nearly picked Tapioca, I was worried it wouldn't live up to the amazing version I had at Sorvete Itália during my last trip. Other flavors that caught my eye included After Eight (like the chocolate mints), Figo Verde com Marscapone (i.e. Green Fig and Mascarpone) and Banana Caramelada. And I'm sure there were even more delicious flavors that I missed because the Portuguese words didn’t resemble either English or Spanish words.
 
In the end, I decided on Figo com Água de Coco (i.e. Fig and Coconut Water) and Chocolate Branco com Amêndoas (i.e. White Chocolate with Almonds). I figured the flavors might clash, but both  sounded refreshing and light for a warm evening. 

Top half: Chocolate Branco con Amêndoas
Bottom half: Figo com Água de Coco

The verdict? Surprisingly, this this ice cream was just okay. Neither flavor made me swoon, but both were unlike anything I've experienced in the United States. It took me a while to warm to the  Chocolate Branco... it tasted artificial to me at first, but I grew accustomed to it and ended up polishing it off. The almond chunks were soft but retained some of their bite. While I'm not sure what I expected Figo con Água de Coco to taste like, it surprised me! The actual base was icy from the coconut water, and it reminded me more of a creamy take on Italian ice than of traditional ice cream. The best part was the bits of fig seeds in every bite. While neither flavor was memorable, they were light and refreshing. I'd like to give Mil Frutas a second chance next time I'm in Rio; there are so many other flavors to try, and I'm sure some of them are stellar.

The Stats:
Mil Frutas
Multiple locations in Rio de Janeiro
http://www.milfrutas.com.br/