Thursday, September 16, 2010

Cafe Schwang: Ice & Cucumber Rose Sorbet

It seems like we are always on the search for the perfect dog treat. Some treats have been too expensive,some have been too messy, and some have just smelled too bad. It was only recently that we realized we've always had the perfect free, clean, and odorless treat. And it's the only thing that can make her go from the above photo, to showing the whites of her eyes:
Our pooches absolutely love ice; they love it as much as any of the other treats we give them. The moment they hear the ice dispenser that will leap from a dead sleep and come rushing into the room. Miss M will perform her full repertoire of tricks, and Mr. B can down a bowl of ice in mere minutes.
I had read about some good frozen dog treat recipes that I thought the dogs would enjoy, but then I figured why bother if they already love ice so much; it's free and pre-made. So, I concentrated my efforts to making sorbets that we might like.
Using some of the herbs from our garden, I figured out how to make a trio of sorbets: Lemon-Basil, Cucumber Rose with Mint, and Mango-Lime with Cayenne. I used a variation of this recipe, then I figured out that you can just add different flavors by putting herbs or zest in the simple syrups. We don't have an ice-cream maker, but I just blended it with a bit of ice, added a small amount of alcohol so it wouldn't crystallize, and froze it in an airtight container. The cucumber was my favorite. A lot of the restaurants here serve water with cucumber, and it tasted as crisp and fresh.Of course, Miss M wanted to try some too:
But she was actually happy to stick with ice. It's just too bad this is another thing I've discovered at the end of summer.

19 comments:

Lola and also Franklin, too said...

Ah well, you'll be all ready for next summer. Those sorbets look lovely. Maybe you could do one with liver. I bet Miss M would go for that.

lotsa licks, Lola

Anonymous said...

Wow, those all sound good! Flash likes ice cubes too, especially on a hot day. She'll carry it all over the house. Ollie on the other hand will take it somewhere and leave it. Then I have the pleasure of finding a puddle of water.

Anonymous said...

Mmmmmm...those sorbets look SO good! I'm with Lola - liver or BACON would be great!

Wiggles & Wags,
Mayzie

Corbin said...

Oh, sounds delish!!! Mom will have to remember that for next summer!
-Corbin

Road Dog Tales said...

Mom says Mango sounds yummy to her, but we agree with Lola and Mayzie - how about some liver or bacon-flavored sorbet. Or just skip the sorbet and give us the liver or bacon :)
The Road Dgos

Shauna (Fido and Wino) said...

Those look beautiful- I'll bet they taste great!

The Whitfields said...

Miss M looks so happy! My dogs love ice too especially on a hot day.

Mary said...

You are so lucky to have found a free high-reward treat! I guess the downside is that ice does not keep well in your pockets for training while on walks. All those sorbets sound yummy, but I am particularly intrigued by the one with cayenne.

Kari in Alaska said...

my dogs go gaga for lettuce...


Kari
http://dogisgodinreverse.com/

Anonymous said...

Holy cow, those sorbets sound delicious!! I've got to try them! I don't have an ice cream maker either, so it's nice to see that they can turn out well without one.

That's hilarious that your dogs love ice! Our dog loves ice cream, but she'll just look at a piece of ice as if saying "you really expect me to eat that??!"

Liz said...

Great sorbet ideas! Bogart also loves ice! It's amazing how we spend so much money on our dogs only to discover that they like the freebies. He has so many toys, but one of his favorite things to play with is an empty plastic bottle. :)

Wyatt said...

Yum, Yum and more Yum! Thanks for the recipes!

Wyatt

Mack said...

That looks Deelish! And very cool and refreshing!

houndstooth said...

Ha ha ha! At least you'll have it filed away for next summer! I love that last picture of Miss M!

little princess Luna~ said...

ohhhhh miss mmmmmm--you melt my little chi heart~!!!!

XO,
luna

parlance said...

Thank goodness we haven't had to deal with separation anxiety!
Though I've been the one suffering from separation anxiety since Penny's had an operation on her leg. The whole time I'm away from home I'm wondering if we've set her up in a safe enough spot.

I laughed at the description of the humans as activity directors. I feel like that sometimes.

Rescued Pittie Family said...

I love that face.
I would not be able to resist; she would get all the ice she begged for.

lesamb said...

My babies, a pittie and an olde english bulldogge, LOVE carrots! They will do anything for the orange goodness! My bully does love ice, too. Silly girl. I'm so happy I got my little (80lbs--ha!) pittie boy; he'll be a year old tomorrow, and he's completely changed my perception about pitties. Thank you for such a wonderful site showcasing the sweet goofy-ness that is the pitbull :)

Those Elgin Pugs said...

Icee Creams!!! Nommy!!!
'dats looks super wonderfuls and peese sent ups an extra bowl for Anakin Man!! Icee Creams is me favorites!!! hu hu's

Hugs!!
Anakin Man

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