Pear Sorbet

I made this Pear Sorbet for our recent Cook Club as we were celebrating not only two Birthdays(!) but 5 Years of Cook Club! It's quite an achievement considering in those past 5 years we have seen 1 Wedding, 2 New Houses, New Jobs and Promotions and the Birth of 5 babies!! That's a busy 5 years for the 6 of us but we still manage to make Cook Club a regular event and always have such a great time catching up over good food and wine.

I served this Pear Sorbet as a palate cleanser between courses and it was a hit. The flavour of the pear is matched perfectly with vanilla and crisp Sauvignon Blanc, making it so delicate yet really flavourful and elegant. You could serve it as a did or it would make a wonderful light dessert for finishing off a heavy meal over Christmas. It is really simple to make especially if you have an ice cream maker.

This recipe is courtesy of Thomas Keller and his book Bouchon and I honestly wouldn't change a thing! The finishing touch of edible gold and silver leaf isn't in the recipe but for a special occasion (such as an elegant Christmas or New Year Meal) I couldn't resist. If you have some certainly use it but don't go out of your way to buy some especially – unless you are really trying to impress!

The 12 Days of Christmas ~ Day 7: Pomegranate Sorbet

Day 7 of my 12 Days of Christmas and I couldn't resist making a beautiful sorbet using seasonal pomegranates – a favourite in our house! This makes a lovely and light dessert or you could serve it as a palette cleanser during courses. Simple to make, delicious to eat!

125g sugar

125ml water

500ml pomegranate juice

Squeeze of fresh lemon

Pomegranate seeds for serving (optional)

Put the sugar and water in a small pan and gently heat until the sugar has completely dissolved. Leave to simmer for 10 minutes to make a sugar syrup then set aside and allow to cool completely.

Pour the pomegranate juice into a large jug and add a good squeeze of lemon juice (I would say roughly half a lemon). Once cooled add some of the sugar syrup – the amount needed will depend on the tartness of your pomegranate juice and your own individual tastes - and taste to see if it needs more lemon. Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker* and churn following your manufacturers instructions until frozen and smooth. Transfer the sorbet to a freezer-proof container and keep until needed.

Remove the sorbet from the freezer about 10 minutes before you want to serve to allow it to soften a little then serve in individual glasses. Top with some fresh pomegranate seeds if you like and for total extravagance top up with some sparkly wine for the ultimate light and easy sparkly dessert!

*If you don't have an ice cream maker simply put the juice mixture into a freezer-proof container and put in the freezer. After a couple of hours take it out and mix it up really well then return it to the freezer. Repeat that process then allow to freeze completely.