Raspberry-Kirsch Sorbet Recipe
By
Kate Ramos
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Raspberry sorbet is readily available in the freezer aisle of most supermarkets, but we think there’s a good reason to make your own: flavor. By that we mean that this recipe, packed with fresh berries and a dash of cherry brandy, is the tastiest we’ve ever had. Try it with slices of Grilled Lime Pound Cake.
This recipe was featured as part of our Cooking with Summer Ingredients story.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup water
- 5 half-pint baskets raspberries (about 6 to 7 cups)
- Kirsch (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring until sugar is completely dissolved. Set syrup aside to cool slightly.
- Purée raspberries in a food processor or blender until smooth. Pour through a fine mesh strainer, pressing on the solids with a spoon or spatula to remove as much liquid as possible (do not push the seeds through). Discard the seeds and solids.
- Combine raspberry purée, syrup, and, if using, a few drops of Kirsch. Cover and place in the refrigerator to chill thoroughly, at least 3 hours or overnight.
- Freeze raspberry mixture in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. The sorbet will keep in the freezer for up to 1 week.
I have just discovered how easy raspberries are to grow in you have a yard... probably not the case if NYCKaren actually lives in NYC. I bought a couple of plants at the farmer's market a few years ago & then realized they have thorns and couldn't decide where to put them. I watered them in the plastic pots on the porch all summer & finally decided I wasn't going to plant them & threw them away. But the next spring (last year) I had a raspberry vine in spite of myself. I put a tomato cage over it to wrap the vines around & left it alone. This year I have raspberries. I learned they are biennial, so the canes that grew last year are blooming this year and the new canes it is putting out this summer will fruit next year. I got another tomato cage to control the new canes. My harvest is small this year, but I'll make sorbet, or raspberry vinegar or raspberry syrup. It kind of depends on how long I have berries and how many I get.
I'm on the same page with NYCKaren... This is cost prohibitive unless you have a glut of wild (or cultivated) berries growing on your property. I'll eat the high end sorbet from the supermarket and still come out ahead ~
This is great funl! I and I just happened to have some Kirsch on me... now isn't that just a co-inky-dink.
This might be a dumb question, but could you use frozen raspberries in place of the fresh?
This sounds great. But raspberries are so expensive! This would end up costing several times what sorbet from the grocery store costs.
Just a note about making simple syrup- you can do this without heating it- just put the sugar in warm water and shake it until the water is clear. Gets the same job done.
Also, another easier way of making this is to combine the puree and syrup in a blender and then to pour it into 1 oz ice cube trays. Freeze for at least an hour or so and when you're ready to serve it, just throw as many as you want in a food processor. It's not as firm as it would be in an ice cream maker but it works just as well.