Framboise à la rose sorbet

I have recently acquired a new addition to my collection of totally indispensable kitchen items: a sorbetière (ice-cream maker!).

The number of times my heart has sunk as I have read the words ‘you will need an ice cream maker for this recipe’. But imagine the possibilities now that I have my very own live-in, any time of day or night ice-cream churning machine!

Lavender, salted caramel, classic vanilla, verbena, meringue, mango and cardamom (lassi!), yoghurt, dark bitter chocolate (maybe with cinnamon, or fleur d’orange?), pistachio kulfi, watermelon sorbet...

I ripped off the ribbon and brown paper packaging, and there she was (it’s a she, of course) in all her Cuisinart ICE30BCU glory. M said “I asked you to marry me two weeks ago and I don’t think you were anywhere near this excited”... he is slightly prone to exaggeration.

I had only ever used professional ice cream machines in the past, and wasn’t sure about how a domestic maker would measure up. But I was pleasantly surprised at how simple and effective it was, the only real drawback being that the churning bowl has to be refrozen overnight before you can make a second batch.

Because of this I had to choose just one flavour for my first batch. Based on easy access to ingredients(I wanted my ice-cream now!) and in memory of a recent mouthwatering sorbet experience, I settled on raspberry and rose.

On one of the few blistering hot days we’ve had this summer in Paris, I sat with my friend Sophie, legs dangling over the wall of the Ile Saint-Louis, eating an ice-cream from La Maison Berthillon - a family business that makes ice cream with the best possible ingredients and deservedly has the reputation as the makers of Paris’s best ice cream. Unlike Italian gelato with its great wedges of ice cream stacked onto a cone with a spatula, the Berthillon scoops are small and compact but bursting with intense flavour. I chose pistachio and raspberry à la rose sorbet. I love the flavours of middle eastern cuisine (especially in the summer time) and the creaminess of the pistachio and the lightness of the rose offset the tart raspberry perfectly.

So back in my own kitchen I was determined to recreate the harmony of the raspberry and rose pairing. Remembering a stunning photograph of cranberry sorbet from Tessa Kiros’ Falling Cloudberries I was inspired to use her simple recipe as a basis for my first experiment.

You can try this without an ice-cream maker (hoorah!) but keep in mind that without the churning motion of the machine to break up the ice crystals, you’ll end up with more of a granita than a sorbet.

Also, it's interesting to note that adding alcohol to sorbets helps to achieve a softer texture, but I didn’t find it necessary for this recipe.

Frambroise à la Rose Sorbet
Makes about a litre

500g raspberries (fresh is better but frozen will work too)
345g caster sugar
825mls (3 1/2 cups) water
3 tablespoons rosewater

Wash the raspberries and add to the sugar and water in a pan. Cover and bring to a gentle boil (basically creating a sugar syrup for the berries to cook in), stirring occasionally, until the berries begin to lose their colour and become soft, about 10 minutes.
Using a blender mix well, and then pour through a strainer to catch the seeds.
Allow to cool and then add the rosewater. Pour into your ice cream maker and churn away!

Next time I might try serving it with candied rose petals.

So do you have a favourite ice-cream match?

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La Maison Bertillon
29-31 rue Saint Louis en l'Ile
75004 Paris