Sherberts

Seeing as we have had some glorious weather this week and the forecast is good for the next couple of days too I thought I would post this simple recipe up. Technically this recipe is not a sorbet, it is a sherbert, I will explain why in a second.

As you all probably know, ice cream is a desert based on a frozen custard flavoured with just about anything. Sorbet is a sugar syrup and water based frozen desert, usually flavoured with fruit. A sherbert is a halfway house between the two, it has predominantly a water and sugar syrup base but with a little cream added. The result of this is an awesome fizzy effect on the tounge, especially when the sherbert is flavoured with a really zingy fruit such as lemon, lime, pinapple or grapefruit.

For the uninitiated Zubrowka is a Polish vodka, flavoured with a grass found in Poland.It is a firm favorite of mine for making long drinks and can be found pretty easily these days. Larger ASDA shops stock it as do many off licences and specialist drinks shops. If you can get hold of it Polmos Białystok is my personal favorite. It is pronounced 'Juh-broov-ka' (so now you don't look like a tit when trying to grapple with the odd Polish pronunciation when asking for it!)

This recipe is very easy and is wonderfully refeshing on a hot day.

Lemon and Zubrowka Sherbert - Serves 6

You will need:

200g of sugar
200ml water
200ml fresh squeezed lemon juice
The zest of one unwaxed lemon
1 heaped tablespoon of mascarpone
50ml Zubrowka

Pre-freeze a bowl or dish that you want to serve your sherbert from, this really speeds up the freezing process.

Place the sugar and water in a pan and bring to the boil, turn the heat down and simmer for 5 minutes untill all the sugar has disolved. Allow the sugar syrup to cool to room temprature, add lemon juice and mascarpone and stir.

It is really important that you taste the sherbert at this point. Some lemons are sharper than others and may need more sugar added. If the mixture is too sweet add the juice of another lemon. Finally add the Zubrowka and stir again.

Place the sherbert in your pre-frozen container and put it in the freezer. After about an hour take a fork and give it a really good stir, this will break up the large ice crystals meaning you get a nice smooth consistency. Repeat the stirring every hour until the sherbert has set.

To serve, leave the sherbert out of the fridge for about 5 minutes beforehand, this means you will be able to scoop it out easily. If you are feeling extra naughty you can slosh a teaspoon of Zubrowka over the top of each sorbet just before serving for a special boozy treat!