Sugar Cube (26 page)

•
Taste the custard as you go; you might want a lighter cream soda flavor, or you might want more. The flavor will mellow after the ice cream has been churned. Still, don’t get too crazy—anything over 2
¹
/
₂
teaspoons is too much—because it’s strong and can impart a bitter aftertaste. I use Old Fashioned Homebrew brand.

Sour, dry Belgian lambics are just bursting with flavor, so I love incorporating them into desserts. For this sorbet, inspired by a recipe in
The Ciao Bella Book of Gelato and Sorbetto,
I use both cherry lambic and a pound of fresh cherries for a double wallop of fruit flavor. It has a beautifully smooth easy-to-scoop texture and would make an amazing float with spicy ginger ale. After measuring out the half cup of beer to reduce on the stove, you’ll be tempted to drink the rest, but don’t drink it all! I know it’s hard to resist, but you need a few tablespoons of unboiled lambic to brighten the sorbet’s flavor.
MAKES 1 QUART

• ¹
  /
  ₂
  cup Lindeman’s Kriek cherry lambic beer, plus 2 tablespoons
  
• 3 cups (about 1 pound) firmly packed fresh or frozen pitted cherries
  
• Juice of 1 lemon
  
• 1
  ¹
  /
  ₂
  cups Sorbet Syrup #2 (recipe follows)
  
• ¹
  /
  ₈
  teaspoon sea salt
  

• IN A SMALL SAUCEPAN
  , bring the
  ¹
  /
  ₂
  cup of lambic beer to a boil over medium-high heat and continue to boil until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and let cool.
  
• IN THE BOWL OF A FOOD PROCESSOR
  or blender, purée the cherries, lemon juice, sorbet syrup, and salt. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a medium mixing bowl, pressing on the solids to squeeze all the juices out. Stir in the reduced lambic and the remaining 2 tablespoons fresh lambic.
  
• CHILL FOR AT LEAST 3 HOURS
  or overnight. Freeze the mixture in an ice-cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer the sorbet to an airtight container, put plastic wrap directly on the surface, and freeze overnight, or until firm enough to scoop, (because of the alcohol it’ll take longer to freeze).
  

MAKES ABOUT 2
¹
/
₂
CUPS

• 1
  ¹
  /
  ₄
  cups sugar
  
• 2 cups water
  

• IN A MEDIUM SAUCEPAN,
  combine the sugar and water and bring to a boil over high heat. Continue to boil for 2 minutes, remove from the heat, and transfer to a metal bowl. Chill in an ice bath or in the refrigerator until very cold before using.
  

•
Just as ovens can vary in efficiency, so can freezers. It might take longer for your sorbets and ice creams to firm up than it takes for mine. Just be patient. If you’re planning on serving one as a dinner party dessert, your best bet is to start it the day before. This way you give the mixture time to chill down properly before churning, and you give the churned ice cream or sorbet time to firm up before serving.

Slurpees have their place—but not in the hands of anyone over the age of twenty. All those artificial flavors and colors and that saccharine sweetness just get harder to appreciate the older you are. That being said, the texture never gets old, so I’ve created a distinctly grown-up version using unfiltered Nigori sake and Meyer lemon juice. The sake has a delicate, yeasty sweetness that pairs particularly well with the bright, milder-flavored, slightly floral Meyer lemon juice. Although the slushy takes a little elbow grease to make, it’s way worth it.
MAKES 6 TO 8 SERVINGS, 1
¹
/
₂
QUARTS

• 1
  ²
  /
  ₃
  cups superfine sugar
  
• Grated zest of 1 meyer lemon
  
• 4 cups boiling water
  
• 1
  ¹
  /
  ₂
  cups Meyer lemon juice (from about 12 lemons)
  
• One 300-ml bottle Nigori (unfiltered) Sake
  
• Lemon wedges for serving
  

• CHILL A 9-BY-13-INCH GLASS BAKING DISH
  in the freezer. In a large metal bowl, combine the sugar, lemon zest, and boiling water. Stir to dissolve the sugar and let cool for a few minutes before adding the lemon juice and sake. Stir to combine, then pour the mixture into the chilled dish and freeze for 2 hours.
  
• USE A WIRE WHISK OR FORK
  to mash and scrape the partially frozen mixture, breaking it up completely. Return it to the freezer for 1 hour and then repeat the mashing and scraping. Freeze again for another hour and scrape again. It will take on a flaked texture.
  
• WHEN THE MIXTURE IS FLAKED
  and frozen (not soupy or slushy), transfer it to a 10- to
  14-cup food processor and pulse until smooth and slushy, 20 to 30 seconds. If you don’t have a food processor, you can purée the mixture in batches in a blender. If it’s hard to blend in the blender, just give it a good stir and continue to blend.
  
• SERVE IN TALL ICE-COLD GLASSES
  and garnish each with a fresh Meyer lemon wedge.
  

•
If you want to serve this scooped like a sorbet, you can freeze the slushy in an airtight container for several hours until firm enough to scoop.

•
Nigori Sake has a cloudy, milky appearance because it’s unfiltered. It’s the sweetest of all the sakes and has a fruity/floral nose and a mild flavor that make it great to use in or pair with desserts. I like Sayuri brand; it comes in a pretty pink bottle, and you can find it at supermarkets like Whole Foods. Make sure to shake the bottle a couple of times before serving or using to distribute the sediment that has settled.

•
If you use Meyer lemons for the lemon juice, don’t waste all that beautiful zest! Zest the lemons into a small, airtight container or onto a piece of plastic wrap, cover or fold up, and freeze for later use.

This refreshing, light sorbet is intoxicating but not in
that
way. It’s the vanilla bean and citrus zest that give it a beguiling floral undertone, especially if you use Meyer lemons and Tahitian vanilla beans, both of which have floral notes. This was one of my favorite desserts that pastry chef Della Gossett made during my time at Trio. Drop a couple scoops in a vintage coupe dish, scatter fresh strawberries on top (or any other berries or stone fruit), and you have a simple but very stylish dessert. It’s also fantastic afloat in freshly squeezed orange juice for a reverse Mimosa or in the
Fizzy Lifting Drink
.
MAKES 6 TO 8 SERVINGS