Papaya, Pineapple and Lemon Grass Sherbet
Serves 8
A sherbet is usually distinguished from a sorbet in that a sorbet never contains milk products or eggs – it is an “ice.” I have been making ices for several years, usually with fresh fruit in season and fresh herbs for character. This particular Valentine’s Day invented recipe is perhaps the best I have done in my opinion, as well as the first time I have used heavy cream resulting in a sherbet.
Contemporary narratives would hold that Nero, the Roman Emperor, invented sorbet during the 1st century AD. It is said he sent runners along the Appian Way and they passed buckets of snow hand over hand from the mountains to his banquet hall where it was then mixed on the spot with honey and wine. The truth is that any culture with access to snow and ice probably mixed it with whatever they had to eat and cooled their drinks as well. The Chinese have made concoctions from snow, juice, and fruit pulp for several thousand years, as recorded in a poem from around 1100 BC in the collection of food canons (Shih Ching). The Sicilians purportedly learned how to make granita (Italian for sorbet) and sherbet from the Arabs, who discovered how to freeze their sharab, later sharbat (sherbet).
Whatever the name, they are a wonderful change of pace between courses in any dinner.
1 pineapple
1 papaya
1 stalk lemon grass
2 cups water
2 cups sugar
½ cup heavy cream
pinch of salt
Preparation: 1. Trim, core and peel the pineapple; cutting up one half into half-inch cubes. Do the same with the papaya. Reserve the balance for another use. 2. Trim and section the lemon grass into short lengths, smashing the pieces flat with the side of a broad knife. 3. In a sauce pan mix the water with the sugar and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and stir until the sugar “disappears.” Let cool. 4. Put the pineapple, papaya and lemon grass into a mixer and add half of the sugar water mixture. Blend at high speed. Add more sugar water if necessary. 5. Strain the resulting mixture through a sieve into a large bowl, “pushing” the liquid through with a spatula. Add the remaining sugar water. Add a pinch a salt. Add the cream. Blend with a whisk. 6. Pour the sherbet into an ice cream maker and churn for 30-40 minutes until it firms up. Scrape the sorbet into a container and freeze, or serve semi-soft at once.
Presentation: Serve the sorbet as a separate course or desert in a tall serving glass or martini glass. Place a half slice of lemon on the edge and a spring of mint on top. This sherbet matches well with a German ice wine.
Richard Wottrich
