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Fruits of the forest sorbet

By Signe Johansen on Tuesday 31 May 2011

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Serves 8

Adding alcohol gives this sweet sorbet a subtle kick, and also makes it smoother than plain fruit sorbets. Do feel free to use a different liqueur or to omit the alcohol altogether if you'd rather.

Ingredients:
250g fructose (or 375g caster sugar)
150ml water
5 star anise
1 long cinnamon stick
2 long peels of lemon zest
800g mixed fruits of the forest
(fresh or frozen)
Juice of half a lemon
2 tbsp aquavit, sambuca or vodka
2 medium egg whites, lightly whisked

Method:
1. Put the fructose and water in a small pan and bring to a simmer. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the sugar has dissolved. Remove the pan from the heat, add the spices and lemon zest to the hot syrup and leave to infuse for 30 minutes.
2. Set the syrup to one side to cool completely before using. If you want
to speed up the cooling process, pour the syrup into a small bowl (preferably metal) and float it in a larger bowl (or sinkful) of iced water. Remove the spices and zest from the cooled syrup
before using it in the sorbet mixture.
3. Blitz the berries, lemon juice and alcohol in a blender until smooth. Add 150-200ml of the syrup and blitz again. Taste to check the sweetness and add more syrup if necessary - the mixture should be slightly sweeter than you want the final sorbet to be, as it will taste less sweet once frozen. If there's any syrup left over, keep it in a sealed bottle or jar in the fridge and use for sweetening drinks or other sorbets.
4. If you don't mind berry pips in your sorbet, pour the puree into a large bowl, add the whisked egg whites and mix until thoroughly combined. If you prefer your sorbet pip-free, push the puree through a fine sieve
before mixing with the egg whites.
5. Put the sorbet mix in a freezer-proof box or bowl in the freezer for a couple of hours, taking out to stir well with a fork every 15 minutes or so, bringing the ice crystals in from the edges and mixing through to get an even 'freeze'.
6. Serve immediately or store in the freezer in a lidded container until needed. Decorate each glass with edible flowers if you like.