Blueberry Basil Sorbet

Blueberry Basil Sorbet
Recipe by Dragon and inspired by Soma, Toronto

I fell in love with Soma's Blueberry Basil sorbet when I visited their shop in Toronto's Distillery District recently. The flavour combination was intriguing and the taste did not disappoint. I knew I had to try to recreate it. So I went to my kitchen and played. The first attempt was tasty but the flavour wasn't the same and the consistency was not creamy, in fact it was rock hard and had to melt slightly before we could eat it. Sigh.

So I did some research on how to make sorbets creamy and gave it another try. I increased the amount of syrup, added some honey to improve the viscosity, added a little alcohol to keep it from getting too hard and an egg white to help make it 'creamy'.....the results were amazing. This sorbet was fresh tasting, creamy and dreamy. I hope you like it. Enjoy!

Makes: 6 cups

Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
1 cup water
15-20 basil leaves, torn
zest of one lemon, cut into long strips
pinch of salt
2 pints of blueberries
1/4 cup honey
1 tablespoon framboise or vodka
Juice of one lemon
1 large egg white

Directions:

1. In a saucepan combine the sugar, water, basil leaves, lemon zest and salt. Bring to a quick boil then reduce the heat to a simmer. Stir until the sugar is dissolved then remove the pan from heat. Let the syrup cool completely then chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.

2. In a blender, puree the blueberries with honey, framboise and lemon juice until very smooth. Strain the puree through a fine-mesh sieve for a smoother texture. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

3. Strain the syrup and add it to the blueberry puree. Mix until it is well combined.

4. Add the blueberry mixture and egg white (if using) to your ice cream maker and following your manufacturer's instructions, churn the sorbet until it has thickened (mine took about 30 minutes). The sorbet will be soft but it will firm up in the freezer overnight.

5. Transfer the sorbet to a container and cover the top of the sorbet with some plastic wrap. This will prevent ice crystals from forming on top. Cover the container tightly and leave it to chill in the freezer overnight.

6 comments:

Lo said...

This looks fabulous. I've gotten really into using herbs in sweet preparations lately -- and have always meant to tackle sorbets. Basil & blueberry sounds so good.

Peter M said...

Oh yeah baby...you outdid Soma's version and in case anyone's doubting...basil and blueberry rock!

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

I had a small tease Paula and definitely admit it was all that!!! I am so glad you have put up the recipe so we can all try it at home!

Cheryl said...

It looks amazing! The next time I find blueberries in the market I'll have to try this.

Alethea said...

This recipe caught my eye because I have enough basil growing in my greenhouse to feed an army! On the look out for recipes that I can use lots and lots of basil in. I started this last night and it is in the ice cream maker as I write this. I think it is a bit too sweet and if I make it again I will cut back on the sugar and/or honey a bit. Did you feel it was awfully sweet?

Anonymous said...

Does anyone know if this can be made in a Vitamix?

 
Dragon's Kitchen - Copyright 2007-2010