I've said it before and I'll say it again... POM Wonderful is...well...WONDERFUL! When I first received a trial case, I went ga-ga over the rich, tart nectar. I did manage to use some in a tasty chili recipe...but for the most part, I couldn't stop chugging the stuff. Did you know that POM also comes in different flavors?
My Blueberry POMgria and GingerPom enjoyed the added health benefits (or so I like to think) of this fabulous juice. I recently received 2 newer flavor combinations to try from POM wonderful...POM Nectarine and POM Peach. I'd like to tell you that I made something fabulously creative from them. But I simply drank them. Sorry...they were too good and one bottle of each didn't allow any to spare. I think POM has a signature TANG to it...and they flavor fusions were no exception. Thee only difference is that sweet essence of tree fruit that lies beneath. So good!
But they didn't stop there...OH NO...they also created some fabulous Iced Coffee drinks. They don't taste like pomegranate...settle down...they just have the added benefit of containing a daily dose (650 mg) of polyphenol antioxidants from pomegranates! They are perfect to grab on the go! Again, I just drank them...I couldn't help myself. And if that isn't enough to convince you to try one...they also use Rainforest Alliance Certified shade-grown Arabica coffee beans, rBST growth hormone-free milk and organic cane sugar. Sign me up (again)! I want to send a huge thanks out to both Janny & Molly from POM Wonderful for sending me these POM products...I've found a lifelong love of pomegranate (so far) thanks to them!
But don't let me forget to talk about my absolute favorite form of POM...the original. It is 100% pure pomegranate juice with nothing else added! The pomegranate has been a symbol of health, fertility and rebirth throughout the ages and some cultures believe it to hold mystical healing powers! And some even say it was actually a pomegranate, not an apple, that was plucked from the tree in the Garden of Eden... yes, these are the things I love to share about the pomegranate...but the health benefits are even better. To find out more, click on over to the POM Wonderful website and prepare to be amazed.And while I am enjoying drinking my POM, I am also doing some fun things with it! Pomegranates are in season right now...seriously, the markets have huge overflowing bins right now...and I can't help but grab one or two when I walk by! I love to eat those little jewels packed inside that pretty red skin...called arils...but I am going to try using them more in recipes now, as well.
Nigella Lawson has an almost too-easy recipe for Pomegranate Ice Cream that was my next stop on the pomegranate train. But, I'm going to call it sherbet, not ice cream. It is a no-churn ice cream that, as Nigella so eloquently puts it, "this delicate pink ice cream tastes like fragrant, sherbety heaven."
It totally does! Nigella's recipe calls for squeezing the juice from a pomegranate, but I figured why do all that when I can take the lazy-woman's way out and use 100% pure POM in its place!? No reason what so ever...
Pomegranate Sherbet ever-so-slightly adapted from Nigella Express by Nigella Lawson
3/4 c. POM Wonderful
1 pomegranate
1 lime
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
2 c. heavy cream
So, begin by measuring out your POM and putting into a large bowl.
Next, juice your lime and add it to the bowl.
Add powdered sugar and whisk to dissolve. Whisk in the cream... 
...and keep whisking until soft peaks form in the pale pink cream. Spoon and smooth the ice cream into a rigid plastic container with a tight-fitting lid and freeze for at least 4 hours or overnight. Scoop out as you would any ice cream or sherbet. 
If you remember, I did keep a whole pomegranate in the recipe...because we need those pretty little jewels as garnish! POM Wonderful puts out an awesome little pamphlet explaining how to cut a pomegranate that I picked up next to the big bins at the market...and boy does it help! Honestly, I just sort of cut and picked before, but this way is super easy...let me share it with you!With a sharp knife, cut off the top, about 1/2" below the crown. Once the top is off, you'll see 4-6 sections. Cut right through that white pithy part that divides the sections and then pull each section out.
Over a bowl of water, use your fingers to loosen the arils and drop them into the bowl. The arils will sink to the bottom while the stuck on pieces of white membrane float to the top. 
Pick those out and strain the water right out of the arils. Viola...you now have a glorious little bunch of tangy, tasty little edible jewels!
Now, scatter these little beauties over the sherbet and enjoy!
This is also my I Heart Cooking Clubs entry this week where our topic is Autumn Harvest!! Come on over and join us!
