LEGEND HAS it that Roman emperor Nero had swift runners bring snow down from the hills, had it topped with fruit juice and wine, and enjoyed it during the hot summer months.
Another legend has it that Marco Polo imported a frozen dessert recipe from China back to Italy.
Yet another tale has it that the political marriage of France and Italy (Henry II with Catherine de Medici) in the 1500s saw an addition of frozen fruit ice to the French culinary scene. Catherine, along with her jewels and her literature, brought along her technique for making sorbetto.
Nowadays, paupers and princes enjoy the frozen dessert known as sorbet. In some parts of the world it's made on street corners and scooped into paper cups. It's also made in elegant kitchens and served on Limoge.
BEYOND FRUIT SORBETS
Legitimate sorbets consist only of pureed fruit, a sweetener, and water. Fresh fruit is always a winner, however, there is life beyond fruit for sorbet. Try a chai (spiced Indian tea), green tea, or even a latte (coffee with steamed rice
or soy milk) sorbet. Sorbets can also be gussied up with liqueurs and brandies, with fresh mint and lavender, with shaved coconut and chocolate, and with dried fruit and nuts.
Sorbets have traditionally been sweet, but you can make a spicy or savoury sorbet by adding chopped herbs or ground spices, such as rosemary, thyme, black pepper, or ginger to a lemon or orange sorbet.
FREEZING TECHNIQUES
There are two basic techniques for freezing sorbet, churn-freezing or still-freezing (of course, you could just mix up a batch of sorbet, put it in the freezer and let it go, but the consistency and the texture could be uneven):
1: Churn-freezing requires an ice-cream maker. In addition to following the manufacturer's directions for using the machine, you'll get good results if you make the sorbet mixture (be sure to refrigerate) a day ahead of time and only fill the machine container two-thirds full (this allows for more incorporation of air, giving a creamy texture).
2: Still-freezing is a machine-less technique. Put sorbet mixtures in metal pan or in ice-cube trays (metal helps freezing), cover with foil and place in the freezer. Stir occasionally while the mixture is slushy (this reduces the size and number of ice crystals); do this about every half hour until you see the sorbet is well on its way to freezing. At that point allow sorbet to freeze all the way. Both churn- and still-method sorbets will last up to a month if your
freezer is working well.
- http://www.vrg.org/journal/vj98jul/987sorbet.htm
