Raspberry Wine Sorbet

Raspberry Wine Sorbet – Clear your plate and your palate for one of spring time’s best dessert.  This sorbet deserves a stage all its own, one free of distractions or intrusions from other food or drink flavorings.

We just moved last week and there are three things in life (aside from family) that I need to be a functional person: My brain, the internet and my oven. Since we moved the internet won’t connect. The oven just went out this weekend.  My brain at this point is questionable.

Nothing sets this baking addict into a state agitation and near incurable crabbiness like a busted oven, especially after making all the components for a few test recipes.

No oven, craving dessert and still wanting to make something, I pulled out the ice cream maker. I know for many of you I’m a bit early on this, but it has been 80-plus degrees in Southern California. And trust me, you don’t need it to be hot to enjoy this sorbet.

A few notes:

1. Use slightly over ripen fruit. If the berries are a bit tart, increase sugar to preferred sweetness.
2. Cook the mixture on a low heat to preserve the fruit flavor and to prevent the alcohol from burning off.
3. Be patient and let the sorbet mixture steep overnight for the best flavor.

RASPBERRY WINE SORBET
Makes 4-6 servings

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INGREDIENTS:
1 cup raspberries
½  cup orange
1 tablespoon of orange zest
½  cup strawberries
3/4 cup fruity red wine – I used a Beaujolais
½ cup sugar
½ cup of water
1¼ cup Cointreau

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Rinse and cut fruit in small pieces.
2. Boil water and sugar in a small saucepan. Turn heat down to low. Add wine and fruit and cook over low heat for three minutes.
3. Remove from heat and add the liqueur stirring until combined.
4. Add the fruit mixture and zest. Let steep overnight or for a few hours at minimum.
5. Using an immersion blender or a regular blender pulse until fruit has a puree consistency.
6. Use a chinois or a fine mesh sieve to pour and push mixture through. This will catch all seeds and pulp for a nice smooth texture.
7. Transfer mixture to an ice cream maker and follow the machine’s sorbet instruction.