We’re experiencing crazy hot temperatures so far this August. Well, UK hot, with the mercury reaching 36, 37 and even 38 degrees.
Earlier in the summer, I picked a load of fresh blackcurrants from my sister’s garden in Maidstone. The smell of them was incredible, so fragrant and aromatic, a bit like fresh basil.
I made a couple of jars of blackcurrant jam with some of them, then froze the remaining fruit by washing them and laying them out on a tray, so they froze individually rather than in a big clump.
As the temperature soared this week, I thought blackcurrant sorbet would be the perfect way to make use of the remaining fruit.
I don’t have an ice cream maker, so I’m old school when it comes to any frozen desserts such as ice cream or sorbet, and I’ll be in and out the freezer checking and stirring. And because of the heat in my kitchen yesterday, this took ages for the mixture to cool down enough to re-freeze and then even longer for it to freeze enough to be ‘sorbet‘.
It was worth the wait when I tucked into some cool refreshing sorbet at 9:30 last night.
This recipe would be much quicker and probably easier with an ice cream maker — if you have one, use one!
The blackcurrant flavour is rich and the sherbety sourness makes it refreshing. One scoop is all I’d want at a time — the sour smack is pretty intense.
I’ve used a recipe I found on BBC Good Food as a point of reference, but they use an ice cream machine. I’ve adapted this to a more basic recipe and method, using frozen rather than fresh berries and lemon juice rather than fresh lemons.
Dissolve the sugar in the boiling water in a large heavy-based saucepan.
Once the sugar is fully dissolved, add the frozen blackcurrants.
Add four or five sprigs of mint and the lemon juice.
Cook the blackcurrants over a moderate heat until they’re tender and the juices turn into a blackcurrant syrup mixing with the sugar and water.
Remove from the heat and take out the sprigs of mint.
Blend the mixture until smooth using a hand-held stick blender.
Once the mixture is cool enough, transfer to a container that’s suitable for the freezer.
When the mixture is completely cool, put it into the freezer.
Every hour or so, stir the mixture as it begins to freeze. This will help break up the ice crystals for a smooth sorbet.
Once the mixture has fully frozen, it’s ready to eat.
Ingredients
Directions
Dissolve the sugar in the boiling water in a large heavy-based saucepan.
Once the sugar is fully dissolved, add the frozen blackcurrants.
Add four or five sprigs of mint and the lemon juice.
Cook the blackcurrants over a moderate heat until they’re tender and the juices turn into a blackcurrant syrup mixing with the sugar and water.
Remove from the heat and take out the sprigs of mint.
Blend the mixture until smooth using a hand-held stick blender.
Once the mixture is cool enough, transfer to a container that’s suitable for the freezer.
When the mixture is completely cool, put it into the freezer.
Every hour or so, stir the mixture as it begins to freeze. This will help break up the ice crystals for a smooth sorbet.
Once the mixture has fully frozen, it’s ready to eat.