Pear sorbet

6 cups

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
3 pounds Fresh pears
½ cup Sugar
2 cups Water
1 cup White wine
Juice of 1 lemon
Grated rind of 1 lemon
¼ cup Heavy cream

Directions

While in Paris, I visited Ile St. Louis, where the famous Berthillon's ice creams are made. I tasted wonderful flavors, although most of them were no better than some of the ice creams I make at home, using my ice cream machine. The pear (poire) sorbet, however, stood out. I had never tasted anything like it before, and it was very good.

After returning home, I searched through my recipe files, and found something that could serve as a basis for that ice cream. After a few experiments, I came out with this excellent sorbet.

Put the sugar, water, wine, lemon juice and lemon rind in a pan.

Peel, core and halve pears, and add to pan. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover partially, and cook another 20-30 minutes. Strain cooked pears, reserving liquid. Strain the liquid through a fine sieve, and add ¾ cup strained liquid to the pears. Puree in blender or food processor until very smooth. Strain back the puree through a fine sieve into a bowl, and refrigerate several hours. When cool, add ¼ cup heavy cream. Mix to blend.

Pour into an ice-cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's directions.

Recipe by Gabi Shahar, October 1993.

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