Boysenberry Sorbet and Cream Swirl

American Dessert

If fresh boysenberries are not available, substitute blackberries or use frozen, unsweetened boysenberries or blackberries, thawed and drained. If you do not have an ice-cream maker, freeze the sorbet in a 9-by-13-inch glass dish, stirring with a fork every hour until the sorbet is set, about 6 hours. This will produce a granita with an icy texture rather than a smooth sorbet.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 2 tablespoons corn syrup
  • 2 pints (4 cups) fresh boysenberries or blackberries
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 to 3 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 cup heavy cream

Directions

In a heavy saucepan, combine the 1/2 cup sugar, corn syrup, and 1/2 cup water. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved, 1 to 2 minutes. Set the syrup aside to cool.

Press the boysenberries through a food mill to purée them and remove most of their seeds. (Alternatively, purée them briefly in a food processor, adding a tablespoon or two of water if needed, and press through a fine-mesh strainer.) Discard the seeds and pulp. Transfer the puree to a container narrow enough so that when you drop in an egg, it will submerge completely.

Stir 1/4 cup of the reserved sugar syrup into the berry purée. Using the egg test (see below), add more syrup to the mixture as needed. Remove the egg and stir in lemon juice to taste. Refrigerate the sorbet mixture until it is cold, about 2 hours.

Transfer the sorbet base to an ice-cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's directions. If the sorbet is very soft, pack it into an airtight container and place in the freezer until it has the consistency of soft-serve frozen yogurt. (The sorbet can be stored in the freezer, with wax paper or plastic film pressed against its surface, for up to 2 weeks. Soften at room temperature before proceeding.)

Whip the cream with the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar until it forms soft peaks. Gently fold and swirl the whipped cream into the sorbet using a spatula or spoon. Take care not to mix too vigorously; broad swirls of both sorbet and cream should be visible. Serve immediately.


Egg Test for Sorbet. The best sorbets are made not by exact measurements, but rather by balancing the sweetness of a particular batch of fruit to assure the best flavor and consistency. Too much sugar will prevent the sorbet from freezing and will overwhelm the fruit; too little makes an unpleasantly tart, icy sorbet. To achieve the optimal balance, rinse a raw egg and carefully drop it, in its shell, into the fruit mixture. When the mixture is in balance, the egg will be partially floating, exposing a circle the size of a dime to a nickel above the surface.

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Submitted 11/1/05.
Source: The Wine Lovers Dessert Cookbook - Chronicle Books
Submitted By: Brandon Smith

Boysenberry Sorbet and Cream Swirl