Recipes

Wine and Dine

Strawberry Sorbet  Veg
Serves 4-6

If your freezer has a fast-freeze facility, use it, turning on a few hours in advance.

• 680g/1½lbs strawberries, fresh or frozen
• 150g/5oz sifted icing sugar
• ½ tsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp Kirsch or other fruity liqueur (optional)

1. For fresh strawberries, rinse them in water, pat dry with kitchen towels and remove stalks. Frozen strawberries should be left to soften slightly at room temperature for about one hour before serving.
2. Purée thoroughly in food processor or blender. The purée can be sieved to remove seeds if desired, although it is not strictly necessary.
3. Pour it into a shallow, lidded, freezer-proof bowl. Beat in sugar, balsamic vinegar and liqueur, combining everything thoroughly. (The liqueur, besides contributing to the flavour, prevents sorbet from freezing rock solid and enables you to serve straight from freezer.)
4. Place lid on sorbet and put in coldest part of freezer. After 1-2 hours, mixture will have started to freeze round edges. Check after an hour, as you need to catch mixture at right moment – when some ice has formed but before it is entirely solid.
5. Remove dish from freezer and beat contents vigorously to break up ice crystals. Use a food mixer or processor if you have one, otherwise an eggbeater or fork.
6. Return dish to freezer and repeat beating twice more at 30-60 minute intervals.
7. To serve sorbet immediately, return to freezer for about 30 minutes after its final beating to firm up.
8. If you haven’t added any alcohol, place in fridge for about 30 minutes before serving to soften slightly.