Sorbet

We sold out of this sorbet in two days at the Bloom festival in Dublin. It turned out really well and was featured in the Irish Times Magazine today, so I thought the least I could do was post a recipe for anyone who might have been disappointed and might wish to make it themselves.

Elderflower ‘champagne’ sorbet is a dessert gourmet enough to wow any foodie friends. Its taste also seems to evoke an emotional response of nostalgia, of foods once tasted and of carefree summers past. Gather friends together over a dish, and the conversation is likely to turn to forgotten memories and sunny days ahead.

I have posted a recipe for elderflower champagne here.

(And, yes, I know I shouldn’t use the term ‘champagne’ for anything not made in that region of France, but elderflower ‘sparkling wine’ sounds really silly!)

Murphys Elderflower Champagne Sorbet

Ingredients:

330 gr sugar
250 ml spring water
500 ml elderflower champagne
75-100 ml lemon juice (to taste)

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.

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. Invite friends over & enjoy!

Technorati tags: elderflower, champagne, elder, recipe, sorbet

Bookmark to (click here):

Hide Sites

 OK. I know a hot toddy sorbet is an odd concept, since a sorbet is hardly hot, but it is tasty, and I wanted to share it. We made this flavour for the Malton Hotel in Killarney, and it’s been quite popular in our shops as well. Warning: it packs an alchoholic punch!

Murphys Hot Toddy Sorbet

Ingredients:

• 340 gr sugar
• 500 ml spring water
• 100 ml whiskey (we used Kilbeggan)
• 75 ml freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon honey (or more to taste).
• 2 cloves.

What to do:

1. Boil the water with the cloves, then remove from the heat.
2. Remove the cloves.
3. Stir in the honey and sugar, until completely dissolved.
4. Cover immediately and cool completely.
5. Stir in the whiskey and lemon juice.
6. Taste it to make sure you like it!
7. Freeze using a domestic ice cream machine, or cover and place in the freezer, stirring at 1 hr intervals to break up the ice.

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. Since both honey and whiskey vary so much in flavour, make sure you taste this before you freeze it, and add a bit more if you wish…

Technorati tags: whiskey, hot toddy,  sorbet, ice cream, recipe

Bookmark to (click here):

Hide Sites

 Here’s something for the holidays – a sorbet that works well as a sorbet course, a dessert, or an alternative partner to the Thanksgiving or Christmas turkey. Cranberries are tart and beguiling – an explosion of flavour, and the sorbet is the same.

If you want to add a bit of orange, you can do so by substituting 150 ml orange juice for 150 ml water.

Murphys Cranberry Sorbet

Ingredients:

• 260 g sugar
• 400 ml water
• 450 gm fresh or frozen cranberries
• 150 ml cranberry juice

What to do:

1. Cook the water, sugar and cranberries together until they reach a low boil.
2. Cover and cook for 15 minutes.
3. Remove from the heat.
4. Use a blender or hand blender to blend until smooth.
5. Pass through a fine sieve to remove the seeds and bits of skin, using a rubber spatula to press as much pulp through as possible.
6. Cover and refrigerate until it is completely cool.
7. Add the cranberry juice.
8. Freeze using a domestic ice cream maker until it has a semi-solid consistency. This could take up to 20 minutes.
9. Transfer to a freezer-proof container and freeze until it is solid.
10. Otherwise, simply place in a covered, freezer-proof container and place in the freezer, stirring every two hours to break up the ice crystals.
11. Remove from freezer and allow to thaw for about 15 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

Yield: 8 Servings

Technorati tags: cranberry, holiday, sorbet, ice cream, recipe

Bookmark to (click here):

Hide Sites

 Here’s the second of the flavours we’re doing for our Mexican Fiesta at the rapidly approaching Dingle Food and Wine Festival. Margarita sorbet should be a real crowd pleaser, and we’re certainly quite enamoured of it.

There are as many stories about the origins of the Margarita as there are ways of making it. A classic Margarita would generally have tequila, triple sec (such as Cointreau) and lime juice. The ratio varies, but a typical one would be (in order of the above) 2:1:1. It’s a drink I love in all its variations, as long as I can lay my hands on good tequila (which is not always easy in these parts). Way back when I lived in Texas, my favourite Mexican restaurant, Fonda San Miguel served the most amazing frozen varieties.

For the ice cream, we’ve done it with and without the triple sec, and I think I prefer the latter. I’m not sure why that is, for I certainly like the hint of orange in the drink. We also like it with a little lemon, but you can substitute lime. I’ll leave it up to you!

Murphys Margarita Sorbet

Ingredients:

• 340 gr sugar
• 500 ml spring water
• 100 ml good tequila (or a combination of tequila and triple sec)
• 300 ml freshly squeezed lime juice
• 60 ml lemon juice (or more lime juice)
• Pinch of salt

What to do:

1. Boil the water, then remove from the heat.
2. Stir in the sugar, until it is completely dissolved.
3. Cover immediately and cool completely.
4. Stir in the tequila, lime, and lemon juice.
5. Taste it to make sure you like it!
6. Freeze using a domestic ice cream machine, or cover and place in the freezer, stirring at 1 hr intervals to break up the ice.

Note:

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.

Technorati tags: margarita, tequila, lime, sorbet, ice cream, recipe

Bookmark to (click here):

Hide Sites

 OK – here’s the first of our Mexican Fiesta ice cream flavours. I can see your eyebrows raising, and I know it’s an odd one, but everyone here thinks it turned out delicious! Black beans, after all, have a bit of a chocolate flavour, and the chilli spices really make the flavour complex and delicious. Since it’s a sorbet, it’s all about punchy flavour!

Murphys Black Bean Chilli and Chocolate Sorbet Recipe

Ingredients:

• 300 gm sugar
• 300 gm chocolate (70%)
• 100 gm black beans
• 500 ml water
• 1 teaspoon vegetable stock
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh, chopped ginger
• 1 small garlic clove, crushed
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin
• A pinch dried chillis (to taste)
• A few sprigs fresh coriander

What to do:

1. Put the beans and 1/2 litre water into a small cooking pot and bring to the boil. Cover and leave overnight.
2. (The next day) Add the spices to the beans and continue to cook until the beans are soft.
3. Keep adding water to maintain the original level. You will need 1/2 litre of the stock!
4. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler.
5. Remove the beans from the heat. Drain the stock (liquid) and measure it. It should be 500ml. Top up with hot water if necessary.
6. Mix the sugar into the hot stock, stirring until dissolved.
7. Add the hot stock/sugar mix to the melted chocolate in small parts, stirring until you have a smooth emulsion. The chocolate will clump at first, but just keep adding the liquid and stirring until it is smooth and glossy.
8. Blend the beans until smooth.
9. Stir the pureed beans into the stock/sugar/chocolate mix until completely incorporated.
10. Cool the mix completely.
11. Freeze using a domestic ice cream maker or cover and place in the freezer, stirring every two hours to break up the ice crystals.

Enjoy!

Technorati tags: black bean, chocolate, sorbet, ice cream, recipe

Bookmark to (click here):

Hide Sites

 The sun’s been shining here in Dingle, and with the onset of summer, I always think about sorbets. Fresher than ice cream and completely dairy-free, sorbets are often my ice cream of choice for warm weather.

Mango sorbet is one of our favourites. It’s a flavour we have chosen to sell in our 500ml tubs, and it’s rarely out of the scooping cabinets in our shops. Make it, and you’ll see why. You will, however, need fresh, soft, ripe mangos!

In our cookbook, I wrote:

Mangos are considered in some cultures to be a food of the gods, and in my opinion one of the sexiest fruits in the world. Smooth, juicy, and utterly delicious, eating a ripe mango is an experience to relish. It might be messy, but it’s also sensual and delivers an explosion of taste. In sorbet, mangos are just as appealing. The texture of the fruit makes this frozen treat almost as creamy as an ice cream. We have made mango ice cream as well (including an award winning mango lassi flavour), but our favourite by far is this recipe, and we;re not the only ones to like it. It’s proven so popular in our shops that we have added it to the list of ice cream we supply to shops in our 500 ml tubs.

Mango sorbet can be served at any time or any occasion. Well able to stand on its own, it pairs perfectly with almost any ice cream or pastry. Viable as a sorbet course, it also excels as a dessert. It is light enough to be perfect after a heavy meal and flavourful enough to satisfy if the meal is simple. I am sure this versatility is why it’s so popular with the restaurants we supply, and you can hardly go wrong including it in your own dinner menu. I might suggest that because the fruit originated in Asia, it’s especially great with Indian or Thai food. If you’ve cooked up a spicy curry, then mango sorbet served after will cool, balance and restore the taste buds as well as sweeten the evening.

Murphys Mango Sorbet

Ingredients:

• 300 g sugar
• 500 ml boiling water
• 2 ripe mangos (ca. 300 g each before they are peeled and pitted)
• Juice of 1 orange
• Juice of 1 lemon

What to do:

1. Add the boiling water to the sugar in a heat-proof bowl.
2. Cover and refrigerate until it is completely cool.
3. Peel and slice the mango.
4. Juice the orange and lemon.
5. Combine the lemon and orange juice with the mango in a blender or food processor and blend thoroughly.
6. Add to the cooled sugar syrup.
7. Freeze using a domestic ice cream maker until it has a semi-solid consistency. This could take up to 20 minutes.
8. Transfer to a freezer-proof container and freeze until it is solid.
9. Otherwise, simply place in a covered, freezer-proof container and place in the freezer, stirring every two hours to break up the ice crystals.
10. Remove from freezer and allow to thaw for about 15 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

Yield: 8 Servings

Technorati tags: mango, orange, sorbet, ice cream, recipe

Bookmark to (click here):

Hide Sites

There’s an absolute howler of a storm outside, the first of the winter season. That, being a true escapist, makes me dream of summer and warm climes. When I think summer, I think sorbet, and of all the sorbets we do, I don’t think there is anything better suited to a hot day than lemon lime. So, as I wait for the lastest draft of the book to print, I’ll post a recipe. Maybe a bit of summer thinking will make me feel warm on this, the first day of December!

There are people who like sweet, and there are people who like tart. Lemon lime sorbet is both, but it will definitely appeal to the latter. We like to use the zest (rind) of the fruit as well as the juice.

Murphys Lemon Lime Sorbet

Ingredients:

• 310 g sugar
• 500 ml boiling water
• 4 lemons
• Zest (grated peel) of one lemon
• 3 limes
• Zest of one lime

What to do:

1. Zest the lemon and lime. Set aside.
2. Juice the lemons and limes into a container. Cover and place the container with the juice in the refrigerator.
3. Add the boiling water to the sugar in a heat-proof bowl.
4. Add the lemon and lime zest and stir until the sugar is dissolved.
5. Cover and refrigerate until it is completely cooled.
6. Add the lemon and lime juice.
7. You can leave the zest in, since they are edible and add colour to the ice cream. If you want the ice cream without them, pass the sorbet mix through a sieve to collect and discard them.
8. Freeze using a domestic ice cream maker until it has a semi-solid consistency. This could take up to 20 minutes.
9. Transfer to a freezer-proof container and freeze until it is solid.
10. Otherwise, simply place in a covered, freezer-proof container and place in the freezer, stirring every two hours to break up the ice crystals.
11. Remove from freezer and allow to thaw for about 15 minutes before serving.
12. Enjoy it, and if you’re in Ireland, dream of sun.

Technorati tags: lemon, lime, sorbet, ice cream, recipe

Bookmark to (click here):

Hide Sites