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Simple summer sorbet

I have a new toy…

And boy am I excited!

Super duper excited.

After 15 years sitting broken in our kitchen we have finally replaced our ice cream machine!!

As a child I loved our ice cream machine and the creamy, delicious, speckled pink strawberry ice cream my mother would make for us day after sunny day.

But that was when I was a child- it has been broken ever since. Still sitting there in the hope that one day we might fix it and the churning would start once more.

MangoSorbetAlicia

Earlier this year in desperation for home made ice cream I bought an attachment for my kenwood chef which worked well, but the necessity to freeze the bowl 24hours before use meant good pre-planning and only one batch a day (which clearly isn’t enough ice cream!). Not forgetting having to find space in the freezer. It was all a bit of a palava.

But that was until last weekend- my new all singing all dancing machine made me four batches before lunch! It was on a roll. I was on a roll! A roll that’s set to continue…

MangoCherrySorbetBowl

In the past week I have made eight batches; three sorbet and five ice cream, all slightly different to work out the best possible combinations.

Now that I have worked out a great simple sorbet I decided it was time to share.

I had read somewhere that you could purée tinned fruit in syrup and churn that into sorbet. It sounded so easy and delicious. I really wanted it to work.

MangoSorbetCone

But it didn’t.

Well not as well as I’d hoped.

I traced the original idea back to 1996 when I’m sure their fruit in syrup was more, well, syrupy. As sugar is what stops large ice crystals forming in sorbet reducing the content too far makes the sorbet grainy and hard, whereas too much will stop it setting firm- a balance must be found.

The balance wasn’t right in my tins and so I set out to make it right.

MangoCherrySorbetAbove

The recipe I have ended up with isn’t much more complicated and turns out deliciously smooth and refreshing sorbet that is ready to be served straight from the freezer when the need arises.

As for the flavour the only limit now your imagination! Photographed here are my goes at cherry, mango and apricot- delicious!

ApricotSorbetClose

Recipe

Serves 8

200g granulated sugar
100ml water
2 tins fruit (approximately 480g)

  • Put the sugar and water in a saucepan and heat gently, stirring occasionally, until all the sugar has dissolved. Turn up the heat and boil for 5 mins (until it reaches 105°C if you have a thermometer). Leave to cool
  • Purée the fruit (thoroughly) and blend with the cool sugar syrup
  • Churn in your ice cream maker according to manufacturers instructions
  • Sit in the sun and enjoy

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