My brother and I have had discussions about how far one can go with ice cream. Given that we are already at the top-end of the market, it makes some sense to push the limits of ingredients to make ice cream beyond what most people could imagine.
Champagne sorbet is good. We have done it. So why not, we thought, make a sorbet with Dom Perignon? In our local supermarket, a pair of 1998 vintage bottles have been staring at me for a while. Why not, indeed?
Then a journalist from the Sunday Times rang wanting to do an article about business and blogging. As part of the interview, she asked me what I’d be blogging about and I mentioned using upscale ingredients such as milk from the Kerry cow, the Valrhona single estate chocolate and a champagne sorbet using the Dom Perignon. The article about blogging is a few weeks off, but the upscale flavours caught her attention, and they decided to give us a blurb on that front. The article and the sorbet both came out on Sunday.
Given the price of the champagne, we’re charging 10 euro a scoop for it in our shops, and there are definitely people going for it. I guess it’s one of those things that you will never forget!
If you want to try to make it, here’s a recipe:
Murphys Champagne Sorbet
Ingredients:
330 gr Sugar
500 ml Spring Water
250 ml (Dom Perignon) Champagne
75-100 ml Lemon Juice
Yield: 6 Servings
What to do:
1. Boil the water and stir in the sugar, until it is completely dissolved.
2. Cool completely.
3. Stir in the champagne and lemon. (The lemon is just to offset the sweetness. Taste it as you add it, and make sure it doesn’t overpower the champagne).
4. Freeze using a domestic ice cream machine, or cover and place in the freezer, stirring at 1 hr intervals to break up the ice.
5. Garnish with strawberries and serve!
Notes:
1. It’s hard to make sorbet without an ice cream machine. You will need to interrupt the freezing process and stir, or you will be left with a block of ice! The more times you do this, the better the consistency will be.
2. If you’re making a special meal, you can have your glasses of champagne at the start, and simply leave enough for the sorbet. If your sugar/water mix is already cold, the timing should work perfectly to add the champagne to the mix just before your main course, put it in the domestic ice cream machine, and it will be ready for dessert!
Technorati tags: dom perignon, champagne, sorbet, ice cream, recipe
I saw that pic on the front of the Sunday Times business section – was it yourself or your brother that was scooping away? Looking forward to reading the piece on blogging!
Am on holidays in Kerry at mo – in internet cafe in dingle checking email. Just about to walk over to your shop to buy some ice cream. It better be as nice as the choc chip cookies!
Dom Perignon Champagne Sorbet is the epitome of indulgence!
Hi there Caroline! It was my brother Sean. Ho Sen was good, especially pre-theatre… Auds – The pressure is on! Hope you enjoyed it! Zac – Hope married life is treating you well and there’s lots of indulgence!
I need to visit your store soon…beautiful as always Kieran!
Your Dom Perignon Champagne sorbet looks delicous, wonderful and elegant. Nice post. Congrats on the article!
You, good sir, give me hope for the state of Irish ice cream. 🙂
I’ve moved to Cobh recently from Alaska, and have been somewhat dismayed to discover that ice cream mostly seems to come in soft serve or prepackaged bars (Magnum’s, or whatever it is, etc). I’m going to have to find a way to make it to Dingle and have some *real* ice cream, clearly! 🙂
-Catie, a new fan 🙂
Thanks for all your comments! Catie – our Killarney shop is closer. Congrats on your book selling out! Enjoy Cobh.
Between reading your “Mint and Mojitos” post and the line “it makes some sense to push the limits of ingredients to make ice cream beyond what most people could imagine” …
Are there any plans to make a Mojito sorbet or ice cream?
An excellent idea! Mojito sorbet would be excellent!
Wow! We made this with leftover champagne from New Year’s Eve and shared it with the neighbors. It was a unqualified success. If we’re ever in Ireland, we’ll definitely stop by your shop to test your other, undoubtably, delicious flavors!
Delighted to hear it!
saw this pic and i am going to use this on my menu. looks great!
I think the amount of sugar is too high, as the mixture never came close to solidifying in my new ice cream maker. It’s been in my freezer for nearly 12 hours now, and is just started to slush up.
Is your freezer cold enough? The high amount of alcohol in this will need a very cold freezer (at least -18C, but preferably -20+)
How long ahead of a meal can I make the sorbet? I was thinking a couple of days before it was needed.
No, not really. You can make it a day before, or even on the same day if you don’t mind it being kind of slushy. This sorbet, since there is so much alcohol, will never get extremely hard.
On the other hand, sorbet lasts quite well, so you can make it weeks in advance as long as you have a cold freezer.
What a fantastic recipe!!! I had some champagne left over from Christmas Day which I used in making this sorbet. This was my first time in sorbet making and I am amazed with how deliciously wicked the results are. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe with us. All the best for 2008
A message for Will and Kieran….a Mojito sorbet….
Try making a lime and mint sorbet, placed on top of a white rum granita in a martini glass, garnished with a sprig of mint and a dash of Bacardi. Goes down a treat!
Hope you enjoy…contact me if you need a recipe
Love the recipe, although I don’t know if I’d open a bottle of Dom Perignon for it. Maybe a sparkling Cava 🙂
Help – Does anyone know where we could buy champagne sorbet? or have it delivered? Or a company who produces a good range of quality sorbets? We would love to have it for our wedding reception in August. Thanks. Glynis + Philip.
Glynis – where are you located?
Thanks for your response Kieran. I am in Buxton, Derbyshire.