About sorbet and a watermelon, rosemary & prosecco sorbet recipe

One of the lovely things about sorbets is their simplicity. Sorbet is by combining some fruit (the fresher, the better) or in some cases, fruit juice, with a certain amount of sugar. That’s sorbet in a nutshell. Nothing too complicated at all.

As far as specific ratios are concerned, if you want to use around 10 cups of your favourite fruit (diced or chopped), that should be enough to come up with 2 litres of delicious sorbet. It is just a matter of combining purée from your chosen fruit, and straightforward sugar syrup. The syrup makes for an easy and convenient way to bring sweetness to your sorbet.

Making the syrup is also easy. Just combine water and sugar in the same amounts, and simmer the two until the sugar has completely dissolved. Afterwards, give the syrup some time to cool off. It’s important to consider what kind of fruit you’re using, and particularly its inherent sweetness. For example, a lot of summer fruit already contains enough sweetness, so that you will only need to add a little bit of sugar. At the same time, it’s important to keep in mind that when the resulting mixture is frozen, this will dilute some of the sweetness. Because of this, it’s necessary to have a mixture that’s a little extra sweet before it goes into the freezer.

Sorbets are a great way to make delicious use of large amounts of summer fruit. There’s no need to do any complicated baking or cooking, or pour over a lengthy recipe. Instead, the instructions for making sorbet are remarkably simple, and can then be spiced up with a little creative flair. Sorbets are the embodiment of simplicity, which offers a delicious treat. You can choose to go with just one kind of fresh fruit, or you can go crazy with various fruit combinations. To add more interest, you can consider putting spices or herbs in your syrup, or even stir in a bit of liquor. Or you can introduce some coconut milk or cream into the mix, to transform the final product into sherbet.

The use of sugar in the sorbet is important, not just to impart sweetness to the resulting mixture. Sugar also plays a major role in producing sorbet with just the right texture. If there isn’t enough sugar in the mix, the resulting sorbet will feel rather slushy or crystal-like, which is not what should be aimed for. But when the amount of sugar used is perfect, the resulting sorbet will be sufficiently smooth and will feel great against the tongue.

Now, it can be difficult to figure out when the amount of sugar is just right. To help with this, keep this tip in mind, something I learned from the blog ‘TheKitchn’: Grab a large egg and dip into the sorbet mixture. It has to be large because that size will factor into your observation. Now, check how much of the egg is above the water line. Is it about the size of a nickel? If it is, the mixture is just right. Now, if the egg is riding lower in the water, so the part above the water line is smaller than a nickel, there isn’t enough sugar in the base. If the opposite is true, and there’s too much egg above the water line, the sugar needs to be diluted using more juice or water.

That’s it! Sorbet is a simple culinary creation that anyone can make it!
The full recipe for this sobert for adults:  Watermelon, rosemary and prosecco sorbet and a cocktail!  at Great British Chefs site 

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Watermelon, rosemary and prosecco sorbet cocktail

I am a contributor to Great British Chefs blog.