Hydration is essential at all times of the year, but especially in summer. To combat the sweltering heat of the summer months, there are many appetizing cold drinks, such as slushies. Although you can opt for sorbets, smoothies or ice creams, which help to cool you down, the option of homemade granita of different flavors is very healthy and easy to make, being the lemon granita the most popular.
The lemon granita can be taken as a dessert or as a refreshing aperitif at any time of the day. Preparing it at home makes it healthier since you can add the ingredients to your liking while controlling the acidity, the flavor of the lemon and the amount of sugar. To discover how to make lemon slush, the main ingredients of the recipe and more details of the preparation.
How to make lemon slush?
You will need:
6 lemons
Lemon peel
6 tbsp brown sugar
800 ml ice
500 ml cold water
Steps to follow:
Step 1:
How to prepare a lemon slush? Too easy! The first step is to squeeze the lemons, reserving the juice obtained. You should also grate one of the lemons and add the zest to the juice, but try to grate only the yellow part because the white part will add bitterness to the lemon slush.
Step 2:
Mix the juice of the lemons and the zest in a bowl with water and brown sugar. Stir well until the sugar is completely dissolved in the juice. If you want a healthier slush, you can make unsweetened lemon slush using other types of sweeteners.
Step 3:
Once the lemon juice and sugar mixture is ready, add ice and blend all the ingredients with a blender. This will help you get a smoother liquid without lumps with the well-crushed ice cubes. You can still run the resulting liquid through a strainer to make sure all the lumps are removed. In this way, the drink will have a better texture.
Step 4:
With the slush mix made, store the container in the freezer. You must cover it well so that it does not spill or acquire flavors or aromas of other frozen foods. Try depositing it on an empty shelf in the freezer so it will freeze more quickly.
Step 5:
Every half hour, remove the container, stir the slush and prevent it from turning into a block of ice. Once it is completely frozen, you can remove it from the freezer.
Step 6:
Before serving the lemon granita, make sure to stir one last time so that the ice chips do not stick, achieving a better texture, and the lemon granita recipe is ready! It only remains to serve.
Step 7:
To finish, serve in different glasses or glasses. If you want to improve the presentation of the granita, you can decorate it with pieces of lemon peel or mint, which always gives a special touch to any drink. So you will be ready to take it with the best company. Enjoy a very refreshing, rich and healthy drink!
Cheese is one of the main companion foods in our day to day. We can use it for cooking, season pasta dishes, make lasagna, or serve it as an appetizer without anything else. Can cheese be frozen? Have you ever wondered if you can freeze cheese? Although cheese tastes delicious, it is extremely difficult to preserve due to its dairy origin since it is normally very easily damaged.
However, while fresh cheeses expire quickly, aged and semi-aged cheeses last longer in the refrigerator (about 6 months). Some cheeses can be frozen, although a proper procedure must be followed to maintain their properties. We want to tell you which cheeses can be frozen and which cannot, as well as the best preservation and freezing methods so that they last as long as possible. Keep reading why fridge smells like dead animal!
Can cheese be frozen?
Not all cheeses are the same, as their manufacturing and preservation processes are very varied. For that reason, some types of cheese will resist freezing better than others, while some will lose their consistency, flavor or properties. Next, we evaluate the most common types of cheese to see if we can keep them in the freezer.
No, if you wonder what cheeses can be frozen and whatnot, unfortunately, this is the type of cheese that should be put in the freezer the least. Due to its smooth texture and its high serum content, it does not withstand such low temperatures, causing it to break, dilute and lose its flavor and texture during the thawing process. If it is your only option, you can dry its surface with absorbent paper and then place it inside an airtight bag or plastic wrap and take it to the freezer.
Within the group of fresh cheeses that are not recommended to freeze, the following stand out:
Mozzarella Ricotta Mascarpone
Can blue cheese be frozen?
Blue cheeses such as Roquefort or Cabrales, which are affected by fungi and are considered semi-cured, are not suitable cheeses to be frozen, as they tend to crumble. Whether or not to preserve the structure of the cheese is not important because we want to use it to prepare a sauce. For example, we can freeze it without a problem.
Can cream cheese be frozen?
It is not recommended to freeze any type of cream cheese such as Camembert cheese or Brie cheese because they lose their consistency when they thaw. The case of spreadable cheeses or cream cheese is not so serious since they are still suitable for spreading during defrosting, although they lose consistency. Thus, despite its creamy texture, cream cheese can be frozen.
Can you freeze goat cheese?
As with the previous ones, it is not recommended, since during defrosting, it would break and crumble very easily. However, since its degree of humidity is medium, this type of cheese does not suffer as much as fresh cheeses. Therefore, we can freeze goat cheese following the appropriate instructions, which we share at the end of the article.
Can semi-cured cheese be frozen?
These are the cheeses that best withstand low temperatures and that, after defrosting, keep their flavor and texture practically intact. Cheeses such as gouda, gruyere or Emmental are excellent to keep frozen for up to 6 months and you can pack them both in blocks, grated or in sheets.
Can cured cheese be frozen?
This type of cheese is characterized by its good resistance to the weather in general, being the ones that are best kept at room temperature. They can be frozen, but due to their hard and not very malleable consistency, they may tend to crumble after thawing as well as lose some of the strong aromas that characterize them. One of the best examples is Manchego cheese, which can only be kept refrigerated and removed one hour before consumption.
How to freeze cheese?
Although it may seem like it, freezing cheese properly is not an easy task if we want to take care of its flavor and fantastic aroma. In addition, for each presentation, it is necessary to follow rules that will prevent damage to the cheese.
Grated cheese
Choose the cheese you want to freeze grated. In our case, we highly recommend semi-cured and cured cheeses.
Grate the cheese with the help of a grater.
Use an airtight bag and fill it with the cheese, leaving a space to get the air out.
Close the bag perfectly, trying to make it completely flat; If your refrigerator is a rack, help yourself to a baking sheet.
When you go to use the cheese, take out the right amount that you are going to use and do not thaw the bag in its entirety.
Block of cheese
Cut pieces no larger than 500 g so that the freezing process can be carried out successfully.
Wrap the piece of cheese in plastic wrap and then line it with aluminum foil or, if you prefer, put it in a zip-lock bag.
Freeze the cheese with the date you are freezing it.
Thaw the piece you will use, transferring it from the freezer to the refrigerator or leaving it at room temperature for a couple of hours.
Sliced or sliced cheese
Cut pieces of wax paper the size of the cheese slices.
Sandwich the cheese with a sheet of paper and stack up to 10 layers.
Put the stack of cheese in an airtight bag or freezer container and write the date.
When you want to use it, remove the sheets with the help of the paper.
The cheese in its different presentations can remain in the freezer for a maximum of 6 months if it is stored properly. However, we recommend consuming it before 3 months and avoiding defrosting until the moment of total consumption, defrosting only the pieces that you want to use for the moment. Similarly, do not exceed the freezing time of creamy cheeses to more than 1 month to prevent their fat content from being diluted and damaging the cheese.
How long does cheese last: storage times
Lightly aged or low-fat cheeses will last the least in the refrigerator, averaging 15 to 20 days. On the other hand, pressed lid cheeses can be kept between 1 and 2 months if they are kept correctly in the fridge. Pressed-cover sheep cheeses have the longest shelf life. They can last for months before spoiling.
Salads made with fruits are a perfect and light dessert for any time of the year. In summer they bring freshness and help to combat the heat, while in colder times such as Christmas they serve as a good accompaniment to main meals. For this reason, an apple salad with sour cream is a healthy recipe with an exquisite flavor.
An apple salad with cream contains ingredients that are easy to find in any supermarket. It is very economical and, above all, it is prepared in a short time. To discover how to make apple salad with cream and the different ingredients that you can add to the recipe, we recommend that you continue reading this article.
How to make apple salad with cream?
Ingredients:
2 kilos of apples
A can of peach in syrup
A can of pineapple in syrup
A can of mangoes in syrup
Half a liter of sour cream
Cracked walnut (100 grams)
A can of condensed milk
Steps to follow:
Step 1:
Start making the creamy apple salad recipe by cutting the fruits into squares . Try to cut them to a regular size to have similar pieces, so you will have a more beautiful presentation. In the case of apples, you should wash them before cutting them to remove possible contaminants.
Like apple cheese salad , this dish should be eaten instantly so that the fruits do not turn brown or brown. If you are going to prepare it in advance, we recommend that you add drops of lemon juice to the apples. In this way, you will be able to protect them from oxidation and prevent them from rotting.
Step 2:
After cutting the peach, pineapple and mangoes in syrup, proceed to prepare a sauce with the sour cream, the condensed milk and the cracked walnut:
First, add the condensed milk and sour cream in a bowl, stirring vigorously until you get a homogeneous mixture.
Later, add the cracked walnut and stir the mixture again until the sauce is homogeneous. Avoid clumps and bumps.
Check the flavor of the resulting sauce. If it’s too acidic, add a little more condensed milk. For an excessively sweet sauce, add a little more sour cream to balance the flavor.
It is important that the liquid ingredients and the nuts are perfectly integrated. Otherwise, the sauce obtained will not be homogeneous and it will be noticeable in the quality of the dish.
Step 3:
After preparing the sauce with condensed milk, sour cream and nuts, you must assemble the salad by joining the fruits cut in the first step of the recipe with this sauce. Take a new container, add the fruits and add the sauce on top of the pieces.
Stir the pineapple, mango, peach and apple pieces with the sauce so that all the fruits are impregnated and you enjoy all the flavor in each bite.
Sour or sour cream is a staple in apple salad. You can buy it in your nearest supermarket or prepare it quickly at home. ¿ How to make a homemade sour cream ? With a natural or Greek yogurt, lemon juice and salt you can make it. Follow these steps:
Pour the yogurt into a container.
In another container, add lemon juice . A squirt will be enough, since an excess of lemon can cut the yogurt.
Add a little salt to the lemon, mixing thoroughly until it dissolves. It costs a bit, but you need to get the salt diluted so you don’t find grains of salt in the sour cream.
Pour the lemon juice into the yogurt and stir slowly so that it is well mixed.
Store the mixture in the fridge for 30 minutes. In this way, the sour cream will take shape.
Finally, take the cream out of the fridge. Stir it again and optionally add a little ground pepper before serving.
Step 4:
After mixing the fruits with the sauce and making sure they are completely impregnated, you can serve the apple salad with cream. As you may have seen, it is a very simple recipe to prepare and in just 30 minutes you will have it ready. Optionally, you can accompany it with a little lettuce as a decoration.
Use the apple salad with cream for dessert or to accompany main dishes, such as a tofu burger or baked chicken. It is a light companion, so it is easy to eat and combines perfectly with larger dishes.
The seasonal fruits offer us a host of benefits, among which are their low cost and better quality. To take them, we can do it by ingesting two pieces of fruit a day or by including them in our favorite desserts. Also, another very healthy and delicious option is to make a jam with them. One of the most popular and appreciated jams is plum. Do you want to know how to make it at home? Take note of the ingredients and get to work! Keep reading this article and discover How to make plum jam.
How to make plum jam?
1 kg of plums 2 cups of sugar The juice of 1 lemon
Steps to follow:
1 To make the plum jam, you can choose red or green plums. The choice will depend on your tastes since the process is the same. As for the amount of sugar, if you want a sweeter jam, you can add more. If you do not have cups, you should know that two are equivalent to approximately 500 grams, so if you want to increase the sugar, you can increase the amount to 800 g.
2 The first thing we will do to start making our homemade jam is to wash the plums well. To do this, rub all the fruit with your fingers and use plenty of water. Once washed, open them in half to remove the bones and cut them into small pieces without peeling them. The pieces shouldn’t be large so that they absorb the sugar better and cook faster later.
3 We place the chopped plums directly in the pot that you will use to make the jam during the following steps, add the sugar and lemon juice, spread them all over the fruits and mix them well to distribute them. It is best to use a large pot so that the plums are not all clumped together and the jam cooks better. When you have removed it, cover the pot and let it rest in the refrigerator for two hours . In this way the plums will begin to absorb the sugar and release their juice.
4 After a time, remove the pot from the refrigerator and put it to heat over medium heat. You should stir the plum jam from time to time to stick to the bottom and burn. It may take around 1 hour to get the proper jam consistency, so you will need to be patient. If you think it is too thick, you can add a cup of water.
5 You will know that the plum jam is ready when you take a little with a spoon and drop it. The drops slowly fall and clump together. If, on the other hand, the texture is too liquid, it will need a few more minutes to cook. When you have it, you can leave it as is or whisk it to obtain a smoother and lighter texture.
6 Once finished, reserve it hot in previously sterilized glass jars and cover them. To keep it for longer, you must make a vacuum seal. To do this, place a clean cloth at the base of a pot, put the covered jars on top (stand upright), cover them with water, and heat them over medium heat. When the water reaches the boiling point, let it boil for 20-30 minutes and turn off the heat. Let the jars cool, dry them, and store them in a cool, moisture-free place.
7 As you see, make plum jam is very simple. If you like homemade jams, do not miss our recipes strawberry jam, tomato jam, and orange marmalade. Keep in mind that homemade jams do not last as long as industrial ones, so you should consume it within three weeks once the jar is opened if the reserves in the refrigerator can last a little longer.
The homemade onion dip is a delicious appetizer for the palate with which you can accompany a wide variety of dishes and snacks. This simple recipe consists of preparing a special sauce based on the fried onion ideal if you are looking for a good dip for snacks, be it nachos, breadsticks, crackers, etc.
Jam is a product that is normally eliminated from many diets to lose weight or people decide not to take it because it usually has many calories, even though it is made with natural fruit. And it is a product that is prepared to have to add a significant amount of sugar. To this, in addition, there is the problem that there are people who cannot take it because they have high blood sugar or because they are diabetic, among other possible circumstances. However, there is no reason to remove jam entirely from the food pyramid because it can be easily prepared at home without adding sugar. In fact, there are more and more ingredients, such as stevia, that allow you to sweeten without having to use sugar and that combine very well with many fruits.
Pleated skirts are one of the most trending pieces of clothing worldwide. Both for a casual meeting and for a more important event, the pleated skirt is a comfortable and elegant item of clothing that can be combined in many different ways.
In case you did not know, coffee is a drink that can also be eaten frozen. It has become a weighty companion in coffee shops and restaurants, although many people prefer to enjoy it as a dessert, just as they would a vanilla or chocolate milkshake.
Banana Pie is a kind of traditional cake that is described as having a small thin layer of dough and a filling that you can have several entrees, fruits, meats, and sweets. This is a simple dessert, delicious but also ideal for a rich breakfast with a glass of ice-cold milk. We will present how to prepare delicious banana pie without oven.
