Saturday 3 July 2010

rhubarb sorbet


Yes. Rhubarb sorbet. Very grownup. Very yummy. Ridiculously easy, and about 10 minutes of work.

5 slim stalks rhubarb
1/2 cup white wine (I used sauvignon blanc, but I think reisling would work better)
1/3 cup agave (or more to taste... i like the tartness)
1 tbs rosewater
pinch salt
2 drops lime oil or a bit of lime zest
5 mint leaves, chiffonaded
3 large basil leaves, also chiffonaded

Blend everything but the basil and mint. Press through a strainer. Discard pulp. Taste. Adjust sweetness. Stir in the mint and basil. Freeze, stirring every 2 hours or so until done. This won't freeze completely solid, because of the booze and agave. Make it before lunch to have it after dinner. You can also let it chill and drink it as a cocktail. In that case, I recommend mixing it with sparkling water, and doubling the wine.

sweet tart music: stockings, with Suzanne Vega

5 comments:

Maija Haavisto said...

Wow, I was just thinking about rhubarb sorbet a few days ago. Rosewater, basil and mint seem like great additions (especially as I have them all!) Now just have to figure out whether to make this one first, or the pomegranate blueberry sorbet I've been planning. Sadly only have limited freezer space.

I don't drink wine, so I wonder if apple juice would make a good substitution? Obviously it would be more sweet and wouldn't hinder the freezing, but still.

Jake said...

I was wondering if you could let me know what motivates a decision to use agave vs. sugar vs. syrup in any given dish.

*hugs and kisses*

sinead said...

Here, agave keeps the stuff from freezing solid. You could make a sugar syrup and use that instead, but why bother? Usually my decision is based on whether I want something that will add stickyness or moisture (agave), or not (sugar). Also, agave + orange blossom water tastes a lot like honey, which can be a decent sub for when you want that actual taste.

Maija Haavisto said...

I think my idea of "5 slim stalks" must have been different from yours, as I got very little sorbet from that amount and only needed about 1/6 cup syrup (I did use sugarbeet syrup, not agave, which may be sweeter, but definitely not twice as sweet) and the result wasn't very tart at all. But very tasty! I can definitely see myself making this just to drink, too. Perhaps mix it with ginger beer? Hmm...

sinead said...

Yeah, I got about 2 cups of sorbet. All my recipes are just me writing down what I do... I really don't have time to do recipe development the way people who produce cookbooks etc. do. But I hope you enjoy this site for what it is.