An Entertaining Intermezzo

With summer quickly approaching and my nostalgia towards the dinner parties we used to have, it’s high time to start making some fresh fruit sorbet. Not only is this incredibly easy and delicious, it’s healthy too! Okay, maybe minus the alcohol, which can be omitted if needed.

You can do this with any fruit that you can prep and freeze, and then smooth with a blender. If you do something with seeds in it like raspberries or strawberries, you’ll have to cook it down first and run it through a fine sieve remove the seeds. Citrus works as well but remove the skin and as much pith as you can. My favorite is pear since it can go straight into the freezer, and then blends up very smooth.

Along with a required liquid component, which could all be juice, I enjoy adding pear brandy to help highlight the pear flavor. You can add all sorts of fun juices and liquors depending what complements the fruit you have chosen. Depending how much you are making, you are looking for a 4:1 ratio of fruit versus liquid by weight.

Next, depending on your fruit, you’ll likely want to add honey or a sweet liqueur to balance out the tang of the fruit. Almonds and pears are a winning combination so I use Amaretto liqueur to add sweetness to this recipe. And then, a touch of absinthe goes magnificently with Pear, or any citrus for that matter. The absinthe also adds the right amount of bite to cleanse your palate between courses at your next fancy dinner party.

Pear Sorbet

4-6 pears (2-3 lbs)

2 oz apple juice

2 oz pear brandy

½ oz amaretto

¼ oz absinthe

Rinse and peel pears. Cut them in half, core them, and remove any brown spots. Place in well-sealed, freezer safe container.

Freeze for 24 hours to be sure they are rock solid. (If in a rush, you can also used store bought frozen fruit)

Add all the liquid to the blender first. Add frozen fruit a third at a time and blend until smooth before adding the next third. Add all remaining fruit and blend until you have a super thick slushy.

Add more liquid if needed, and if you add too much, you can always add ice. Should be very soft sorbet at this point.

Place sorbet back into that freezer-safe container and into the freezer before it melts. Let it harden for a few hours, and then dig in. I love serving this dish in an old school coupe glass = sherbet glass.

Enjoy this template to make your own fun flavor combinations. And impress all those friends with homemade sorbet once we get to entertain again. Until then, we’ll be eating all this ourselves and missing you. Cheers!

Sending love,

Shen