Thanks to one of Cannelle et Vanille’s recent posts on her blog – A Trio of Frozen Treats, I’ve just discovered the joys (and easy peasiness) of making sorbet (read: sor-bay) – an especially refreshing treat on any day! Sorbet is simply sweetened water mixed with pur éed fruit.

I had to improvise a bit on the original recipe  so here’s my version of Cannelle’s Peach, Basil and Lemon Thyme Sorbet.

Peach, Basil Thyme and Lemon Sorbet

Equipment Needed
Chopping Board
Chef’s Knife
Peeler
Hand-held Blender
2 Large bowls
Saucepan
Strainer
Ice Cream Machine
Container for storing sorbet

Ingredients
4-5 white peaches (to yield about 350g – 400g of peach purée)
100 ml water
100 grams sugar
Juice of half a lemon
1-2 tsps of lemon zest
1-2 tbsps fresh basil and thyme leaves

Method
1. Place sugar and water in the saucepan and put over medium heat until sugar dissolves and the syrup comes to a boil. You needn’t stir the mixture.

2. Tear/crush the basil leaves and thyme leaves. (Tearing/crushing the leaves releases the flavour of the herbs)

3. Once the sugar dissolves, turn off the heat and add the herbs and lemon zest. Allow the herbs to steep in the syrup for 2-3 minutes.

4. Taste the syrup (be careful as it could still be very hot) and adjust the taste according to your liking. The syrup should have a hint of the basil, thyme and lemon.

5. Pour the syrup through a strainer into a bowl, to remove the herbs and lemon zest. Set aside to cool completely.

6. Place in the fridge for about an hour or until it is chilled.

7. In the meantime, remove the skin and seeds of the peaches and place the peach flesh in a large bowl. Purée with a hand-held blender.

8. Add the syrup and lemon juice to the peach purée and mix thoroughly. (You can tweak the taste by adding more or less lemon juice.)

9. Place mixture in an ice cream machine* and churn until a slushy consistency is achieved. Quickly place the mixture in a container and freeze.

And you now have a convenient, refreshing treat within easy reach! Enjoy!

*Note: Do not despair if you don’t have an ice cream machine! You can make popsicles by placing the sorbet mixture in popsicle moulds!