barefoot and bicycles … Cherry Coke Sorbet

As a kid, I spent about 99.5% of my summer bouncing from one neighbor’s pool to the next. Such is the life of an Arizona suburban kid. As soon as our mothers would set us free in the morning, we’d race out the door in our bathing suits, gather our posse together – the Martocchia twins across the street, the Higgens girls to the left and the Janovski girls to the right – and descend upon one of our houses like a pack of rabid, swimming wolves. Our days were filled with endless games of Marco Polo, complicated synchronized swimming routines, diving competitions, gymnastic tricks and hundreds of rounds to see who could hold their breath underwater the longest. We were a group of deeply tanned, bleached blonde kids with chlorine induced bloodshot eyes. Summer zombies. Occasionally to break up the daily swimming sessions, we’d jump on our banana seat bikes and ride to the 7-Eleven several blocks away for a treat. Indicative of the time, we were probably barefoot, definitely helmetless and absolutely unaccompanied. Ah, the freedom of the 70’s-80’s!

Convenience stores – 7-Eleven, Circle-K and the not as common U-Totem – were mecca to little kids. They had the greatest candy aisles filled with neat stuff like Fun Dip, Rocket Pops or those watermelon Jolly Rancher bars that we’d turn into a fake retainers with the assistance of a paper clip. Why, I do not know, but we actually did this. But what the girls on my block and I really loved were Slurpees. Those cold, frozen obnoxiously sweet drinks that came in two flavors: Coke or Cherry Coke. This was way before the introduction of flavors like Slime Lime or Ghost White Gummie or whatnot. Just Coke and Cherry Coke. Maybe Blue. I seem to remember Blue flavor. Regardless, the most important factor was that those slurpees were blessedly cold during those 100°F+ days.

Being a curious and enterprising little kid, I tried making my own slurpees at home. I quickly learned the hard lesson that a can of soda will most definitely explode in the freezer. Pouring it into a cup didn’t really work either; a Coke popsicle wasn’t what I was going for. At some point my family acquired one of those special mugs – a night in the freezer and you could make your own slushies, right in the insulated cup. My dad liked to drink his beer in it during those hot Arizona summers, but on the rare occasion when he would give me a turn and my mom would let me have a soda, I’d go right for that mug. Softly frozen and slightly effervescent, a frozen coke was delicious, sweetly refreshing and a coveted treat. It was magic.

I was in a movie theater recently with one of those machines and, for old times sake, ordered a Coke slurpee. It was just as I remembered – too sweet and I had a few wicked freeze brain incidents yet I couldn’t stop drinking. It got me to thinking. I don’t have one of those mugs anymore (but apparently you can get them for pretty cheap on Amazon!) so I did the next best thing. I made a Cherry Coke Sorbet, which is such a pastry chef thing to do. I bought a bottle of regular ‘ol Coke, mixed it with a homemade sour cherry syrup and spun it in my ice cream maker. In about 3.2 seconds I was transported right back to that 7-Eleven curb on the corner of Peoria & 35^th, getting freeze brain pains through a straw. After all these years, I wonder if the Martocchia twins have these same thoughts. I doubt it.

STRESS THERAPY BAKING FACTOR: MAGIC NOSTALGIA. We’re expecting a freeze tonight so it might seem like an odd time to make a frozen dessert but I got this into my head and wanted to see how it turned out. It’s not the same as those slurpees of old but it’s close enough to trigger some good memories. This one is actually a little more sophisticated if that’s even possible. The cherry flavor is nice and mellow, and dare I say, not as fake. It’s quite nice.

Other fun frozen treats: Cream Soda Sherbet, Blueberry Lime Buttermilk Sherbet, Roasted Banana Sorbet, Roasted Strawberry Sorbet, Pina Colada Sherbet, Strawberry Hibiscus Popsicles,  Blueberries & Cream Popsicles, Avocado Lime Tequila Popsicles,  Mexican Chocolate Pudding Pops, Date Shake Popsicles, Spicy Pineapple Paletas, Mango Lassi Freezer Pops
Eight years ago: Squash & Onion Tart
Seven years ago: Chicken Pot Pie
Six years ago: Concord Grape Pie & Purple Cow Pie Shakes
Five years ago: Kale & Squash Salad
Four years ago: Pickled Green Cherry Tomatoes
Three years ago: Seeded Crackers
Two years ago: Simple Pear Tart
Last year: Ricotta Gnudi with Cherry Tomato Pesto Sauce

CHERRY COKE SORBET
Makes one quart

8 teaspoons sugar
½ cup 100% unsweetened tart cherry juice
one 20-oz bottle Coca-Cola (regular not diet)

1. First off, put your ice cream canister in the freezer. Mine works best if it freezes for at least 48 hours.
2. In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and cherry juice; bring to a boil over medium-high, stirring to help the sugar dissolve.
3. Boil for 2-3 minutes until slightly thickened and reduced by 1/3 – you should have about 6 Tablespoons of cherry syrup.
4. In a clean container, combine the cola and 6 Tablespoons of the cherry syrup.
5. Cover and chill for several hours or overnight. The sorbet is better if the coke has time to go flat.
6. Process according to your ice cream manufacturer’s instructions.
7. Transfer the sorbet to a freezer container and freeze for at least 2 hours.