Preparation for Sorbets

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Digital kitchen scale
• •Small saucepan
• •Fine-mesh strainer
• •Ice cream maker with at least 1½-quart capacity
• •Large chilled mixing bowl
• •Flexible silicone spatula
• •Eight small sorbet or sherry glasses

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the syrup

   Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan and warm gently, stirring only until every crystal dissolves. Do not reduce it. If it boils or loses visible volume, return the syrup to a scale and add enough water to restore its total weight to 545 g. Cool it completely, then chill it. This gives the 18° to 19° Baumé syrup prescribed for a liqueur sorbet; the lower density accounts for the liqueur that will enter at the end.

2. 2

   Build the base

   Combine the strained lemon and orange juices with the Sauternes, then stir in all the cold syrup. The mixture should measure close to 1 quart and weigh about 1,045 g, though the fruit may shift that slightly. Weigh the finished base and record the number, because the meringue must equal precisely one-quarter of it. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours, until thoroughly cold.

3. 3

   Churn until congealed

   Start the ice cream maker before pouring in the cold base, then keep it running continuously until the mixture is completely congealed and firm enough to hold a soft mound, usually 20 to 30 minutes. The turning paddle replaces the packed turbine and constant scraping of the classical kitchen, so do not stop the machine to stir by hand. If a rigid collar freezes beyond the paddle's reach, stop once, scrape it into the center, and restart immediately. Ça se rattrape.

   A warm base makes coarse ice and overworks the machine. Chill both the mixture and the receiving bowl before you begin.
4. 4

   Fold in meringue

   Transfer the frozen base to the chilled bowl. Weigh out exactly one-quarter of the base's starting weight in Meringue à l’Italienne (No. 2383), about 260 g for this batch, and fold it in gently in three additions. Turn the bowl and lift from underneath rather than beating; the meringue should lighten the ice without losing all its air. If the sorbet slumps before the meringue is incorporated, return the bowl to the freezer for 10 minutes, then finish folding. If it has become too hard to combine, leave it in the refrigerator for 5 minutes and try again.

5. 5

   Add liqueur last

   Drizzle in the liqueur only now, when the sorbet is fully frozen and the meringue has been incorporated. Fold just until evenly distributed. This sequence is the dish: alcohol added before churning depresses the freezing point and can prevent the base from setting. If it was added too soon and the machine cannot firm the mixture, stop churning, spread it in a shallow metal pan, and freeze until softly congealed before folding in the meringue. Ça se rattrape, though the ice will be a little coarser.

   Different liqueurs soften the sorbet differently. Begin with three-quarters of the measured amount if yours is stronger than 40% ABV, then add only enough to leave the sorbet softly drinkable.
6. 6

   Shape and serve

   Spoon the sorbet into eight chilled sorbet or sherry glasses and draw each portion into a soft point with the back of the spoon. Pour 1 tablespoon of the additional Sauternes over each glass. Serve at once, or hold briefly in the freezer. The proper consistency is loose enough to drink, not a hard ball that fights the spoon. If it firms during storage, rest it in the refrigerator for 10 minutes and work it gently before dishing. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Sauternes gives a pale gold sorbet with honeyed acidity. Port makes it garnet and fuller, while a sweet wine from Samos gives a rounder fruit character; keep the book's wine measure unchanged and let the chosen bottle set the direction.
• •The meringue ratio is exact, not decorative. Weigh the cold base first, then use one-quarter that weight of Meringue à l’Italienne (No. 2383). Too little leaves coarse, heavy ice; too much turns the sorbet foamy and dulls the wine.
• •If you omit the liqueur, the source calls for a denser 22° Baumé syrup. Make it with 225 g sugar and 338 g water, then use it cold in place of the 18° to 19° Baumé syrup.
• •Fruit purée belongs to another family of frozen dessert. This formula wants strained juice because its finished texture should be fine, light, and fluid enough for a glass.
• •Do not judge this sorbet by the hardness of a fruit ice. Wine and liqueur keep it supple by design; the soft consistency is not a failure.

Advance Preparation

• •Prepare the syrup and wine-citrus base up to 2 days ahead. Keep both covered and cold, then combine and churn when needed.
• •If the ice cream maker uses a freezable bowl, freeze it for the full time required by its manufacturer, commonly 18 to 24 hours.
• •Prepare the Meringue à l’Italienne (No. 2383) separately and keep it cold for no more than 1 day. If it begins to weep, whisk it briefly by hand before weighing, without beating away its body.
• •The finished sorbet can be held in a shallow airtight container for up to 2 days. For the finest texture, churn it within 4 hours of serving and add the finishing wine only after it is portioned.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 195g)