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Shelley is back, keeping the beginner cooks up to speed!

I recently made this dessert with great results. I found the recipe through the Everyday Foods app on my iPhone, and it simply could not be easier. But I must say, I made a few personal adjustments to the recipe, only one of which I would repeat.

The official recipe calls for 1 pint each of mango, raspberry, and coconut sorbets. In the few hours I gave myself to make this before attending dinner at a friend’s house, I only had one chance at the grocery store. The little Fiesta by my house nearly got me there, but instead of raspberry I used strawberry sorbet, and I had no choice but to switch out the coconut sorbet for coconut and pineapple ice cream. And as luck would have it, I also had no choice but to buy Haagen-Dazs. Oh the horror!

So, here’s the recipe as modified by me; it’s short and sweet, literally:

1 cup shredded coconut
1 pint coconut ice cream
1 pint strawberry sorbet
1 pint mango sorbet

Start by lining a metal loaf pan with two pieces of plastic wrap such that there is no exposed metal. Next, you’ll need to toast the shredded coconut; the official recipe instructs you to do this in the oven, but I have a much handier method for you. All you need is a skillet and a stove top. Put the coconut in the skillet and “cook” it on medium heat, constantly stirring with a spatula, so the coconut doesn’t burn. You’ll know when the coconut is toasted because it will turn the color of toast. Shocking. But anyway, toasting it on the stove top is much handier than toasting on a baking sheet in the oven.  At least it is for me in the heat of the summer, so I can avoid turning on the gas oven that seems to heat up the whole house.

Incidentally, that’s the personal adjustment I would repeat. After toasting the coconut, let it cool, and then sprinkle half of the coconut in the bottom of the plastic wrap lined loaf pan. Using a rubber spatula, dollop the coconut ice cream in the loaf pan on top of the toasted coconut, spread it out with the rubber spatula. I will say here that I think sorbet would’ve been much better; the ice cream melted much faster than I thought it would once I started spreading it, but if you can’t find coconut sorbet, this will just have to work.

After spreading the ice cream or sorbet, sprinkle half of the remaining toasted coconut, and then dollop and spread the strawberry sorbet in the pan, repeat this process with the remaining coconut and the mango sorbet. Fold the saran wrap over the sorbet and place in the freezer. The official recipe says to freeze it at least 6 hours, but up to 2 weeks. The 6 hours bit is no joke; any less time in the freezer and it will fall apart when you try to serve it. Speaking of serving it, when you do so, unfold plastic wrap, and invert the metal pan onto a plate; remove plastic, and there’s your terrine.

Hopefully it will be nicely striped. To cut a slice, use a serrated knife and cut crosswise. Impress your friends with this super simple dessert, you could even live dangerously and completely stray from the tropical sorbet flavors or even make a total switch to ice cream. Sky’s the limit. Enjoy!!