January 8th
2007
Although we like to enjoy a bit of snow and a bright white holiday season, we haven't been seeing snow in a while. Since April last year to be exact. On the other hand it's not breaking my heart not to be wearing multiple layers and waiting for a delayed tram at sub zero temperatures. So I'm not complaining, but what worries me is that the cold will come and it will stay way into spring...I so despise that thought. Opposed to craving rich and filling food, classic comfort food that would nicely go with a snowy and harsh winter, I've lately been in the mood for more sorbet experiments.
The Ginger Lychee sorbet we ended up having for New Years eve, a tarter Granny Smith Apple Lemongrass sorbet became part of our Christmas dinner. The choice for either one would be dependent on your own menu plans and of course personal preference & the level of tartness you're happy to manage - there is plenty of room in both recipes for fine tuning. Visually I'd say the Granny Smith version is more of an eye catcher - taste wise they are on a par! Whether you prefer the sweeter Ginger Lychee sorbet or the tart Granny Smith Apple Lemongrass sorbet, both are a true palate refresher in any opulent holiday feast. Presented as a little intermezzo, they are best served right before your main course.
Oliver
The general method for both of these sorbets is the same, except that the ratio of fruit/juice and molasses is slightly adjusted. Feel free to experiment to find the ratio that works best for you. If you'd like it a tad sweeter, add more molasses, if creamier, fold in half of a very fresh, semi-beaten egg white after the sorbet has set (1-2 hours of initial freezing).
For the molasses: Pour the water, the sugar and the lime zest into a pot and bring to the boil. Simmer for about 10 minutes, then let the mix cool down. Add lemon juice to taste and strain through a fine sieve.
Fruit part/Granny Smith Apple Lemon Grass Sorbet: Coarsely chop lemongrass, ginger & apples and juice them through a fruit juicer including the peels - not only will you preserve many of the vitamins, but also the color!
Fruit part/Ginger Lychee Sorbet: A simple kitchen blender works find here. Just finely blend the ginger and the peeled (and pitted) lychees and strain through a fine sieve.
Now combine fruit-juice and molasses, stir well and pour the mixture into your ice cream machine or fill it into a flat (closeable) Tupperware -or similar- container and place in freezer. If you don't have an ice cream maker, make sure to check back every other hour to scrape the container with a fork to break up the frozen bits and create slush.
Note: Of course you could always get a Pacojet if you wanted it extra smooth, but adding some of a half-beaten (very fresh) egg white and blending the sorbet a final time just before scooping it on the plate will deliver a pretty decent result!
Granny Smith Apple Lemon Grass Sorbet
Recipe source: Johanna Maier, p.201, adapted
Required time: preparation takes less than 20 min., chilling/freezer: at least 6 to 8 hours, chilling/ice cream machine: ~45min-1h
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Ingredients (serves 4-6):
1.5cm/1" fresh ginger
4-5 stalks of lemongrass
5 medium sized Granny Smith apples
50ml water
50g sugar
juice of 1 lemon
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Ginger Lychee Sorbet
Recipe source: Own creation
Required time: preparation takes less than 20 min., chilling/freezer: at least 6 to 8 hours, chilling/ice cream machine: ~45min-1h
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Ingredients (serves 4-6):
~500g (peeled and pitted) Lychees
60ml water
60g sugar
zests of 1 lime
juice of 1/2 lime
0.5cm / 0.2" fresh ginger
Ahh, even more inspiration for me to purchase an ice cream maker! They look and sound incredible!
Granny Smith apples are my favorite treat throughout the day, for me their sourness works like I'd have some strong coffee. Turning them into sorbet is a brilliant idea!
Thanks for the granny smith recipe. It will make for a wonderful amousse bouche for a party that I am hosting this weekend.
Inspired by your listing of chrismas dinner (and yet without the recipe) I made a granny smith sorbet for my new year's eve dinner and actually came up with almost the same recipe. The problem I had was the color: Although I also used the peel and lemon juice, during the freezing process it turned brown. Do you think it might be because of the lack of the ice cream machine (the freezer freezing slower and letting more time for oxidation)?
But taste it did yummy!
Granny Smith sind mir regelmäßig zu sauer, aber für Eis oder Sorbet kann ich mir das durchaus vorstellen. Ist das Zitronengras geschmacklich essentiell oder könnte man das auch weglassen?
I'm not too upset about the warm weather either, and I've been taking my ice cream maker for a few extra spins as well, before winter actually begins.
But I'm focusing on spring, with this false start, and looking forward to the first melons and nectarines...hope springs eternal!
I know here in the States they have predicted a warmer year, so it could be a similar thing there too. It could be global warming.
Lovely recipes, but the thought of stoning and peeling a half kilo of lychees is scary. Would it be OK to use canned?
Granny Smith Apple Lemongrass sorbet . That sounds sublime!
All of my favorite flavors are in these two sorbets! In the past I wasn't very successful in preparing sorbets myself, usually I forget it in the freezer and it becomes hard as a stone.
My husband would love that treat! I'll have to make it for him... Thanks for sharing this recipe!
These sorbets sound fantastic. I recently made a no-ice-cream-maker ginger lemon ice cream that turned out quite well, but these flavours are even more exciting: can't wait to try them! Gorgeous photos, as usual.
I absolutely love your idea of experimenting more sorbets. They look and sound fabulous!
Sorbets are indeed a great way to keep people hungry throughout a multi-course meal. My favourite so far had a liquorice taste to it. Sublime!
As we are trying to cope with unbelievable hot temperatures down here (Melbourne), this is the kind of dessert I will prepare for us tomorrow. Thank you for sharing your recipes and all the best for 2007!
Carina, the golden spoons we purchased at a small shop in Lisbon. Can't think of the name, but it was one of the many little artsy stores in the center.
Hi Hande, Hm good question. I do remember working quite fast, I chopped the lemongrass and ginger first, then the apples and immediately put them in the juicer. We also used the freezer method and our freezer is far from being a heavy duty, industrial strength type freezer...I was surprised myself about how well the color was maintained, the more you stir the sorbet (and blend it) the lighter the color usually becomes.
Hi Alex, Das Zucker/Wasser Verhältnis kannst Du natürlich Deinem Geschmack nach anpassen, dann ist auch der sauerste Granny Smith nicht mehr ganz so sauer. Zitronengrass könnte man weglassen, gibt dem Sorbet aber eine feine Note (vielleicht nur die Hälfte der Stengel?)
David, Exactly. I will chime in on visualizing spring...I wholeheartedly would love to skip winter. We were deprived of spring already last year.
Margo, It does seem like the overall climate is changing probably quicker than the experts want to make us believe; for Wednesday the forecast predicted 14-15°C (~58°F) and it's January!! That's crazy!
Debs, I'm sure canned lychees would work just as well. They might be a little sweeter, since they usually float in syrup, but that shouldn't be a show stopper :)
Hi Tina, It has happened to me as well. Especially when there are left overs, those tend to sit in the freezer for 2-3 days and become -like you said- rock hard. If you have omitted the fresh egg white, you can always let the sorbet thaw a little and then use your blender to make it smooth again - it works!
Sylee, I think the freezer method works just fine, it's just a bit more work. Our ice cream maker is an old one, and we still haven't gotten around getting a new shiny one.
Hi Sue, I think I might give liquorice a chance next :)
Antoine, Although I must say that when thinking sorbet I wouldn't immediately be thinking liquorice, but on second thought perhaps I should give it a try. Do you remember whether it had a secondary taste to it?
Oliver, your sorbets look and sound wonderful -- I especially love lemongrass in sweet dishes. As an amateur who's constantly attempting El Bulli recipes, I have to acknowledge how enticing the Pacojet is. Now that's a toy I crave. Please let me know if you ever get your hands on one.
Not having an ice cream machine was the reason I never attempted to prepare sorbet at home. But you inspired me to give it a try, maybe next weekend. I'll let you know about the results!
[...] Granny Smith Apple Lemon Grass Sorbet & Ginger Lychee Sorbet (delicious days) Fruchtige Sorbets aus Äpfeln, Zitronengras und Ingwer [...]
The Granny Smith Sorbet sounds deliciously refreshing! My newest sorbet obsession is a store-bought Blood Orange sorbet. Have you found anything like this that I could try at home?
Also, good news. It snowed in Chicago today. The world is not ending... yet.
I love this photo... just seeing that refreshing green color makes me want to eat this immediately, but then I read the recipe and I feel like I have to make it. Mmmm, simple and refreshing
Granny Smith sorbet sounds like the best sorbet ever! I thought I'm the only one who loves these tart apples, maybe my boyfriend will try this, too (he never eats the apples).
Max, I'd go with a pragmatic approach, take a general sorbet recipe and substitute whatever fruit juice the recipe calls for with blood orange juice and take it from there. Depending on the sweetness of the juice you may have to adjust the amount of sugar. It's worth the try! PS: We got tons of snow over night, too ;)
Just found your blog and have to say it is a feast for the eyes! Your photos, the recipes, I don't know where to start. Can't wait to try the lychee sorbet!
As much as I would like to try the Granny Smith sorbet I adore your golden spoons, never saw anything similar before. May I ask where you purchased them?