HERB & TEA SORBETS

Sorbets, also known as sherbets, granitas or ices can be scooped into stemmed glasses, served on fresh fruit, floated in a chilled soup, used as a garnish for a beverage or they can be used as a first course or a light and refreshing ending for a summer meal.

 

If you’d like to try making a sorbet, here’s the basic recipe, remembering that you must always keep a balance between the sweet and tart flavors plus a proper ratio between liquid and sugar so that it is not too soft or too icy:

BASIC SORBET
1 c sugar
3 ¼ c water
¼ c lemon juice
fresh herbs or loose leaf tea

There are two basic methods for extracting the flavor from tea & herbs, one uses a blender and the other a saucepan plus both require a mesh strainer.

 

BLENDER METHOD (Herbs)

• Make a simple syrup (1c sugar boiled in 1 c water ) and cool Measure the syrup, additional water, citrus juice and fresh herb into the blender and blend for a minute or so until smooth. Pour the liquid through the strainer and freeze.

 

INFUSION METHOD (Herbs & Tea)

• Bring sugar and water to a boil in a saucepan, toss in herb sprigs (stems and all) or loose leaf tea, cover the pan and take it off the heat. Let the herbs steep for 15 minutes and tea the recommended brewing time and then strain. Cool, add citrus juice and freeze.

 

The liquid from either method also can be mixed with fruit purees like berry, melon or peach, creating endless combinations of herb/tea and fruit sorbets.

 

 

FREEZING METHODS:

• Use an ice cream freezer until slushy-firm. Scoop into a storage container and freeze until firm enough to scoop.
• Put into a freezer until nearly firm, stirring every 30 mins.  Put chunks into a food processor and process until all crystals have disappeared and mixture is smooth. Re-pack into container and keep frozen until needed.

  

• Put 1/2c sorbet liquid into a pint ziplock bag and seal it.  Place the bag inside a gallon ziplock bag, fill half full of ice, add 6Tbs rock salt or 12 water softener pellets & seal the bag.  Shake about 5 minutes.  Wipe off the top of the small bag, then open it carefully. Enjoy!
  
  

 

To get started, here are a few recipes including a savory sorbet: TOMATO-BASIL (top), four sweet herb sorbets: ROSEMARY– ORANGE, STRAWBERRY-ROSE GERANIUM (left side), BAY-PEACH and LEMON VERBENA YOGURT (right side) and one made with tea, EARL GREY (bottom):

 

 

TOMATO-BASIL SORBET
8 tomatoes, peeled & seeded            
1/4c chopped fresh basil leaves
2Tbs sun dried tomatoes                   
1/4tsp salt
2Tbs water                                         
1 1/2tsp unflavored gelatin    
3Tbs sugar                                         
3Tbs lemon juice
            Process tomatoes until smooth, add basil and sun dried tomatoes.  Combine water & gelatin and let stand 5 mins then heat until dissolved.  Add sugar & lemon juice stirring until sugar dissolves.  Add to tomato mixture and chill. 

ROSEMARY– ORANGE SORBET
1/2 c sugar                                         
2 c water       
1 c orange juice                                 
1tsp orange zest
1Tbs chopped, fresh rosemary leaves
            Bring the water and sugar to a boil, add rosemary and steep for 15 mins.  Strain and cool. Add the orange juice and zest and stir well.

STRAWBERRY-ROSE GERANIUM SORBET
1 c sugar                                            
1 c water
8 rose geranium leaves
4 c fresh strawberries or frozen, thawed
1Tbs fresh lemon juice
            Bring sugar and water to a boil in a small saucepan.  Drop in rose geranium leaves, cover pan and remove it from heat. After 15 minutes, strain syrup, pushing down on leaves to extract flavor.  Puree strawberries and lemon juice in blender and add syrup.

BAY-PEACH SORBET
1 ½ c sugar                                        
1 ½ c water
10-12 bay leaves                                
1 cinnamon stick
3c ripe peaches                                  
1Tbs lemon juice
            Bring sugar, water, cinnamon stick and bay leaves to a boil then remove from heat and steep 30 minutes.  Strain and cool.  Puree peaches and add syrup plus lemon juice.

LEMON VERBENA YOGURT SORBET
1 ½ c sugar                                        
1 ½ c water
2 c lemon verbena leaves                  
2 c plain yogurt
1 1/2Tbs lemon juice
            Puree lemon verbena, sugar and water in blender and strain.  Add yogurt and lemon juice and whisk until smooth.

EARL GREY TEA SORBET
1 c sugar
3 c water
1Tbs EARL GREY loose leaf tea
            Steep tea leaves in boiling water for 5 minutes, strain, add sugar, stirring to dissolve.  Chill.

 

 

“Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing

some people have entertained angels without knowing it.”

I Corinthians 10:31