This is another recipe to beat the summer heat – it could be served as a palate cleanser, a garden treat or a light dessert. You do not need an ice cream maker to make the recipe and can use a freezer and food processor just as well. A good tip is to add a little alcohol into your sorbets – this helps them set a little better and not be so icy. You don’t taste it, but it really helps the texture.
For the AVA Strawberry Sorbet
- 250g AVA Strawberries
- 50g sugar
- 20ml water
- ¼ lime
- 35ml vodka (optional)
Method
- Add a tablespoon of the sugar in a pan with the strawberries – heat until the juices begin to come out of the berries. Now blitz in a food processor and pass through a sieve.
- In a pan heat the remaining sugar and water until all of the sugar has dissolved. Add the strawberry puree and the lime juice and chill.
- Place in an ice cream machine and churn. (If you don’t have one – use the freezer, but remove the liquid and blend every hour or so until frozen)
For the Basil Sorbet
- 150g Caster Sugar
- 500ml water
- 5 small cups of basil leaves (this works out about 4 small bags of basil)
- 1 lime
- 35 ml vodka
Method
- Place the sugar and water in a sauce pan and bring gently to a simmer, making sure all of the sugar has dissolved. Now set aside and chill.
- Take the basil and pick the leaves from the stalks, discarding the stalks.
- Once the sugar syrup has cooled, use a food processor or blender and blend the sugar syrup, basil leaves and juice of the lime together.
- Now pass the mixture through a sieve to catch the remaining basil pieces and you should be left with a smooth, vibrant green liquid. Add the vodka if using.
- Place in an ice cream machine and churn until frozen. Keep in the freezer until ready to use. (As above, you can freeze in your freezer, but will need to take it out and blitz again every hour to remove crystals.)
For the Strawberries
- 1 punnet of AVA Strawberries
- 50 ml of red fruit liqueur (I used crème de cassis, but framboise, etc would work well too)
- Small basil leaves
- ½ tsp sugar
Method
- Cut the strawberries in quarters or halves, depending on the size.
- Place in a bowl and add the sugar, liqueur and basil leaves. Leave to marinade for 30 minutes
To Assemble
Take a cocktail martini glass and place some of macerated strawberries around the bottom of the glass. Now add a scoop of the strawberry sorbet, then a scoop of the basil sorbet. Finish with a basil leaf. You could also add a shot of vodka to your glass to make a sort of sorbet cocktail!
