This is for the adventurous ice cream eater. The flavor is a combination between orange sherbet and green tea ice cream. It makes a nice bright ending to a summer meal. You will need an ice cream maker for this recipe.

Ingredients
4 large egg yolks
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
2 cups hot milk (whole or skim)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract.
1 cups heavy cream (or half and half)
1 cup shelled sweet peas
Zest from one medium orange

Method
- Place snap peas in boiling water for 1 minute. Remove peas and plunge into ice water, drain and puree peas in a blender with cream.
- In a medium saucepan, whisk together egg yolks, sugar and salt until blended (no heat).
-Gradually whisk in hot milk and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until custard thickens slightly about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from heat.
-Stir in pea-cream mixture and vanilla extract. Refrigerator until chilled.
-Pour mixture through a fine-mesh sieve. Use a spoon to push the mixture through. All that should be left are bits of peas.
-Add orange zest.
- Place in ice cream maker and churn according to manufacturer’s instructions.
- If you prefer a firm ice cream, transfer ice cream to a plastic container and freeze until firm, about 2 hours. We can never wait that long.

My friend Jan has always liked beets. I did not like them until she made them for me once years ago. I always thought that beets tasted like dirt, but Jan roasted them in orange juice and transformed them into a delicately sweet and only slightly earthy dish. It was a perfect compliment to the pork roast and the cold snowy night.

Recently, Jan further expanded my beet world by telling me that you don’t have to cook beets at all. Grated beets with salt, pepper and lemon juice make an easy, yummy and let’s not forget, uber-healthy salad.

Here’s a version with cabbage (another nutritional powerhouse):

1 large beet or several small ones, uncooked, peeled
1 cup chopped cabbage
1/4 cup apple cider or rice vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon grated horseradish (fresh or prepared)
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix honey, vinegar and horseradish.
Grate beets or chop them in food processor.
Toss all ingredients.

Eat up!