In the midst of a heat wave, what can I do but make sorbet? Much too hot to fire up the oven, that's for sure. And with fresh raspberries making a welcome appearance in so many markets this week, it’s time to enjoy their lusciousness without making too much fuss.
I decided to make a cool and quenching Raspberry Sorbet and dress it up a bit with the sophistication of a great red wine. David Lebovitz shares his recipe for just this thing in Room for Dessert and it’s really delicious. It’s a simple sorbet that really showcases the tartness of fresh raspberries and the depth of a good fruity wine all in one lovely dish. A cup of sugar lends just the right level of sweetness that does not overwhelm the clean bright burst of fruit. It’s a terrific way to enjoy a super light dessert that will definitely bring on a bit of cool in this very lovely moment of Spring. Just the sheer beauty of its rich color is enough to stop you right in your tracks. Exquisite.
Bench notes:
- Be sure to use a very fruity wine to enhance the flavor of the raspberries.
- If your berries are extremely tart, you may want to increase the sugar by a tablespoon or so.
- There is also a recipe for a Sangria Sorbet recipe in this book. Similar idea but it uses orange or tangerine juice instead of raspberries. We’ll have to try that one sometime soon.
Red Wine and Raspberry Sorbet
adapted from Room for Dessert by David Lebovitz
Makes about 1 quart
1 C sugar
3/4 C water
3 C red wine, a fruity Merlot, Zinfandel or Beaujolais
3 C raspberries
Place sugar, water and wine in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Continue to boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and add the raspberries. Cover and steep for at least 1 hour.
Using a rubber spatula, push the mixture through a fine sieve into a container. Chill thoroughly.
Freeze in your ice cream maker.
12 comments:
What a beautiful color! It looks (and sounds) absolutely wonderful. Please try the Sangria Sorbet soon!
Eileen (passions to pastry)@
www.livingtastefully.com
sexy sexy sorbet! It's really lovely!
That sounds almost like a sangria sorbet... delicious, refreshing... and that color... if that doesn't say "sexy" I don't know what does!!!
I never though of using wine in a sorbet. It look really good. What an amazing colour!!
Fantastic idea! red wine in a sorbet, it sounds delicious and perfect for the warm days.
Thanks for the idea
The color on this sorbet is just stunning! The flavors sound fantastic!
Merlot!
Raspberries!
Both in sorbet!!!
A triple heaven!
I'm going to try this with apple cider instead of red wine for a lighter colour and sweeter taste as a palate cleanser... will let you all know how it works out! Thanks for the inspiration!
foodandpassion, thanks for your idea although you may want to reduce the sugar in the recipe since that 1 cup was intended to offset the wine. Please do let me know how it turns out!
Thanks pastry studio.
I think I have already botched this batch, as my freezer doesn't seem to be cold enough... I did reduce the sugar slightly, and we'll see if it turns out. It certainly smells delicious, just isn't freezing yet.
It may not be your freezer. I think sorbets are one of the most difficult things to formulate. I love them but it can be difficult to get them right on the first attempt. High ratios of sugar and alcohol interfere with freezing, so too much or too little can affect texture. It's the delicate balance of water and fruit in this recipe that makes it work. I have a delicious tea sorbet and an apple sorbet that I'm still trying to get right.
You might think about adding some water to see if it will help freeze the mixture. In any case, please let me know how it works out!
If you're using an ice cream maker, make certain that the cylinder is Artic-cold -- minimum 24 hours in the freezer. Particularly important if there's alcohol in the recipe. But who'd mind a slightly soft version of this little bit o heaven?
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