What happens when you combine this:
I have been trying to make this since June. Yup, you read that correctly, June. It’s now August. In fairness, I made this in July, I just didnt get a chance to post it until now. Life has been rather hectic as of late and it seems that time somehow got away from me.
Anyhow, better late than never, right?
So, why this particular recipe? Well you see there was another #baketogether organized on Twitter by Abby Dodge which I had fully intended to participate in and the subject was sorbet. I tossed a few flavor ideas around in my head and came up with rosemary and blueberry.
I enjoy combining sweet and savory flavors; remarkable things often happen when you do. I thought this one was a bit unusual, at least I’ve not encountered it before. Of course I had no idea if what I imagined this would taste like would actually pan out but I figured I’d give it a try. And you know what, it worked!
So how did I come up with this combination? Well, my husband absolutely loves blueberry and I wanted to do something that he would really enjoy. As for rosemary, I happen to like the earthy, piney (is that a word?), floral tones. I find the scent of rosemary soothing and enticing at the same time and thought it would work well with the also earthy, sometimes grassy but sweet flavor of blueberries. It did.
I added something else which you may or may not find unusual, a pinch of black pepper. I learned this little trick a number of years ago when looking for a blueberry pie recipe. If I remember correctly it was a Martha Stewart recommendation and you know what? She was right. I don’t know what it is but it works. It’s kind of like salt and tomatoes, it’s just that something-something that enhances and enlivens the flavor of blueberries. Seriously, give it a try.
So, even though we are on to the next bake together (which I WILL be participating in and have already worked the recipe out in my head) I wanted to do this, I needed to do this so here you go: Rosemary-Infused Blueberry Sorbet.
The following recipe is adapted from one provided by Abby Dodge
NOTE: Ingredients in italics are my changes to the original recipe.
Ingredients
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup sugar
About half of a 3/4 oz package of rosemary
2 pints blueberries, rinsed and well dried
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
Pinch table salt
Pinch black pepper
Instructions
1. Have an ice cream maker ready. (I use an electric Cuisinart with a 1 quart canister, probably the same style as Abby’s. If you use this type of model, make sure the canister has been in the freezer for several hours or over night.) I put a 2qt glass container in the freezer as well so that it would be cold when I added the sorbet.
2. Put the sugar and water into a medium saucepan. Cook, stirring gently over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from the head and add the rosemary sprigs. Set aside and allow to steep a minimum of 4 hours or overnight. I left mine overnight. You can refrigerate this syrup up to 4 days before continuing but be sure to remove the rosemary if it will sit longer than 24 hours.
3. Put the berries into a food processor and process until smooth, about 1 minute (you’ll have approximately 2 cups). Add the fruit puree to the sugar syrup along with the lemon zest, salt and pepper. Stir until blended. Set aside to cool completely and refrigerate until chilled or up to 1 day. For faster cooling, set the pan over a bowl filled with ice, stirring occasionally, until well chilled.
4. Pour the chilled mixture into the ice cream maker and process according to manufacturer’s instructions. Serve immediately (it will be soft) or scrape into the chilled dish, cover and freeze until firm or up to 2 days.
Abby’s suggestion if you don’t have an ice cream maker, make a granita!
Here’s how you do it:
In place of ice cream machine, switch-in the following:
Arrange a 9×13 inch baking dish or 9 1/2 cup rectangular plastic container (Ziploc) in the freezer making sure it is level and secure. (Other sizes and shapes work too but you’ll need to adjust your stirring and scraping times accordingly.) Follow the directions for making the mixture. Pour the chilled mixture into the baking dish and freeze about 2 hours until frozen around the edges. Every 30 minutes, stir and scrape the mixture with a table fork. Freeze and scrape until the ice crystals are loose and frozen.
[…] created a lovely Rosemary & Blueberry number – and check out those pix.. […]
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