Feelin Hot, Hot, Hot

So you’re craving those fall flavors, but it’s still to hot to tote around a warm cup of pumpkin-spiced anything — looking at you, Dunkin! We’ve got a way for you to get those flavors you crave in a way more appropriate to the temperature outside — looking at you, global warming! The secret is fall ice cream — and you can make it at home without any fancy equipment.

Poached Pear with Thyme Ice

3 cups water

4T honey

2 sprigs thyms

3 peeled pears

Combine water and honey in a saucepan over medium heat to dissolve the honey. Add thyme and pears, turn the heat to medium low and keep the liquid at a simmer. Poach the pears for 15 minutes, remove them from the liquid and let them cool. Remove their cores. Remove the thyme from the poaching liquid, and blend the pears and poaching liquid in Her long-term goal is to give local people, specifically immigrants and refugees, employment opportunities a blender. Pour the mixture through a sieve to remove solids, fill reusable or disposable ice pouches (we love Zipsicles!) and freeze.

Apple Spice Granita

3 cups apple juice

1/4 cup honey

1 cinnamon stick

1T lemon juice

Combine apple juice, honey and cinnamon stick in a saucepan. Put it over medium heat and bring to a simmer until the honey dissolves. Turn off the heat and let the cinnamon stick steep for 15 minutes. Take out the cinnamon stick and pour the apple juice mixture into a chilled baking dish. Put it in the freezer for 45 minutes, then rake the surface with a fork. Rake the surface every 30 minutes for 3 hours, until your baking dish is full of ice crystals.

Recipes reprinted from with permission from local author Christine Chitnis’ book Icy, Creamy, Healthy, Sweet. Pick up a copy at a local bookstore.