Culinary Alchemy: Triple Moon Sorbeto - Grape Sorbet Trio and Dry Ice

I started to write this post as a theosophical dissertation regarding the spiritual Trinity found in several religions, but in the process of explaining this theological concept, prevalent in both Christianity and Wicca by the way, it became some sort of Magnum Opus. As a result the recipe was completely lost amidst theory and subjective deconstruction of spiritual beliefs. Due to this snafu, I am going to just state some facts and leave it at that. After all, this is not a Comparative Theology blog, and I don't want anyone to misconstrue my subjectivity as a personal attack on anyone's chosen relationship with deity.

So, on with the post about Herbalism, The Moon, Grapes and Sorbet and Dry Ice.... ;) See, there is a lot to cover already....

In herbalism, which was at one time considered Magick, the Grape is aligned with the energies of the Moon as well as being associated with the "Fertility" and "Prosperity". Knowing this, I got to thinking about how grapes ripen...

A grape can be full grown and in full color but still not be ripe. Unlike other fruits, when a grape is picked, it does not ripen any further. Thus is was, that growers of this fruiting vine had to figure out when the leaves had transferred enough sugars into the fruits before picking. I got to thinking that maybe this had to do with the influence of the moon's gravity on the plant. That could explain why grapes are so closely associated with the Harvest Moon. Ask a Vineyard Owner. I am sure that they stress about when to actually pick the grapes to produce the most flavorful wines.

Either way, I had decided on calling this Moon sorbet or some such thing. That was, until I decided to make more than Green Grape Sorbet. Yeah, in classic "over-achiever" style I decided that I needed to make Red Grape and Black Grape too, and then serve together...

Thus the Triple Moons....

Green Grape Sorbet - Artemis, Maiden Huntress of the waxing Moon
Red Grape Sorbet - Selene, the Mother of the full Moon
Black Grape Sorbet - Hecate, the Wise Crone of the waning Moon or the dark New Moon

To top it all off, I decided to play with Dry Ice this time as well. Which was kind of fun. Especially when things got all foggy and spooky lookin. It was surprisingly quick I must say... I made 3 batches of sorbet in less time than it would have taken me to make one batch with an ice cream maker.

Triple Moon Sorbet

Printable Recipe

Artemis
14 oz (397 g) Green Thompson Seedless Grapes
1/4 cup (2 oz) (58 g) Granulated Sugar
1 TB plus 2 tsp Lemon Juice

Selene
14 oz (397 g) Red Flame Grapes
1/4 cup (2 oz) (58 g) Granulated Sugar
1 TB plus 2 tsp Lemon Juice

Hecate

14 oz (397 g) Black Seedless Grapes (if you use seeded grapes, you will need to halve them and remove the seeds)
1/4 cup (2 oz) (58 g) Granulated Sugar
2 TB plus 1 tsp Lemon Juice (please note the black grapes are a little sweeter and need more lemon juice)

Start with the Green Grapes.....
Combine Grapes, Granulated Sugar and Lemon Juice in a blender.

Puree for about 1 minute, until the sugar dissolves in the juice.

Pour through a fine mesh strainer to remove skins.

You should have about 1 1/2 cups

Repeat the above steps with the Red Grapes....

Then again with the Black Grapes....

Cover all the juices with plastic and place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour while I expound upon Dry Ice. (you can skip the rest of the post and simply follow the directions on your ice cream maker if you like)

A little about Dry Ice.....
Dry Ice is "Solid" or "Frozen" Carbon Dioxide which is a poisonous gas, so I suggest working in a well ventilated area... I went outside... True it's heavier than "air" and will sink to the floor, but if you have small children or pets, a large buildup will cause breathing issues.

Dry Ice sublimates (changes from a solid directly to a gas with no interim "liquid" phase) at
-109 F (-78 C) degrees. If you touch it with your bare skin, it will "Burn" you, or rather, will cause instant frost bite because it will flash-freeze the water in your skin cells, thus killing them. In conclusion -- ALWAYS use gloves when handling dry ice.

Never place Dry Ice on your counter top. It is SO cold it can actually cause the material to crack.
Likewise, though I am not sure about this, cause I have not "tried" it, if you are going to make ice cream this way, use a stainless steel bowl, I don't think a glass bowl, tempered though it may be, can handle this kind of cold and may shatter.
And although I think this goes without saying, I will say it anyway... Never leave Dry ice within the reach of children. Hmmm... and some adults for that matter... LOL

My intention is not to scare everyone away from trying this, just to instill a little respect for this material and prevent needless injuries.

When you bring the Dry Ice home, place it in a paper bag and beat it with a hammer to break it up into a powdery form.

This will make it easier to add to the mixing bowl (don't worry, the CO2 will "boil" out of your sorbet leaving it REALLY cold but not poisonous).

Place your green grape juice in the STAINLESS STEEL bowl of the mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.

Turn it on medium-low (2) and let it run for about 1 minute.
Using a medium sized serving spoon, place 1 spoonful of Dry Ice "snow" into the mixing bowl; wait about 30 seconds, then add a second.... Wait an additional 30 seconds and add a third spoon.