• Red berry sorbet with pistachio soil

    Serves: 8
    Cooking Time: 3 hrs + 4 hrs, to freeze

    Ingredients

    • SORBET

    • 100ml water
    • 230g castor sugar
    • 25ml lemon juice
    • zest of 1 lemon
    • 450g mixed frozen red berries
    • BASIL SPONGE

    • 300g salted butter
    • 250g castor sugar
    • 6 eggs
    • 75g basil leaves, shredded
    • 300g cake flour + extra, to dust
    • 15ml (1 tbsp) baking powder
    • PISTACHIO SOIL

    • 50g sugar
    • 40g ground pistachio nuts
    • 65g cake flour
    • pinch salt
    • 35g butter, melted

    Instructions

    1

    For the sorbet, place the water, 230g castor sugar, lemon juice and zest in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir and simmer until the sugar has dissolved into a syrup.

    2

    Place the berries in a blender, add the syrup and blitz until smooth. Place the mixture in the fridge to chill, about 1 hour, before churning in an ice-cream maker, according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer to a freezer-proof container and freeze to firm up, about 4 hours. If you do not have an ice-cream maker, place the mixture in a freezer-proof bowl and freeze, about 2 – 3 hours. Just before frozen (it will be thick, but almost liquid), beat with an electric mixer until smooth and fluffy. Return to the freezer until completely frozen and ready to serve.

    3

    For the sponge, preheat the oven to 180˚C. Grease a 20cm-diameter cake tin and dust with flour. Set aside until needed. Cream together the 300g salted butter and 250g castor sugar until pale and fluffy. Continue to cream while incorporating 1 egg at a time, until 5 of the eggs have been added.

    4

    Blitz the shredded basil leaves and the remaining egg together in a blender to a smooth paste. Incorporate this into the butter mixture (it will look curdled, but don't be alarmed by this.)

    5

    Combine the 300g cake flour and baking powder, and fold into the herb mix. Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake tin and bake, 30 – 40 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean. Turn out the cake and leave to cool on a wire rack.

    6

    For the pistachio soil, preheat the oven to 110°C. Mix 65g cake flour and the remaining dry ingredients together, then slowly add the 35g melted butter and rub it into the dry ingredients. Bake for 30 – 40 minutes until dried out.

    7

    To serve, place a few tablespoons of the soil in small bowls, crumble over the basil sponge and add a scoop of berry sorbet.

    Author

    Imka Webb is a freelance digital marketing expert and the digital editor of Food & Home Entertaining magazine.  www.imkawebb.com

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