I have been wanting to try a sorbet recipe for ages, but all of the ones I had seen to date required an ice cream maker. I try to stay away from most kitchen gadgets (mainly due to my obsession over clutter-free countertops) so I’ve always skipped over the sorbet and ice “cream” recipes.
The idea for making a basil sorbet came yesterday. First, I went to the Beaches Green Market where I got al the basil I wanted for $1 (Really??). Then, later in the evening, I went to the new restaurant in Avondale called Town. I couldn’t try most of the things on their menu, but there were probably 3 or 4 items that were vegan- one of which was a basil sorbet.
I woke up this morning, only to open my refrigerator and see that my basil had frozen because the setting was too cool. Most of it wilted too a dark, ugly color- but there were still some of the smaller green leaves that survived. I didn’t want any of my precious basil to go to waste so I compiled all the recipes I could think of that could use basil and spent the whole afternoon cooking. This light dessert is only one of the fruits (pardon the pun) of my labor.
I believe that once you have a taste you will be whisked away into a dream where sun shines on berries bigger than butterflies and fluffy little bunnies dance in the grass where you lay, begging you for a taste of your sweet treat..
With frozen fruit and simple syrup you can create an endless variety of satisfying and chill-inducing treats. The recipe I found called for peaches, but I decided that strawberry would be better with basil (I think I was right, but you must try for yourself)-so I made both.
(insert your favorite fruit) Basil Sorbet
approx. 1 1/2 cups frozen peaches or strawberries (or whatever other fruit you heart desires)
splash of Riesling (WHAT? I didn’t have any juice and needed to thin out the mixture a bit)
1/4 cup basil simple syrup (recipe below)
In a blender combine ingredients and process until smooth. You can adjust the amount of simple syrup based on your desired sweetness. The resulting product will be quite soft. Place in an airtight container then put in the freezer until firm.
Simple Syrup for Peach Sorbet
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
4 large Basil leaves
Bring all ingredients to a boil. Refrigerate until cold. Keep the basil leaves in the syrup.
