Thursday 3 December 2009

Recipe: Mandarin Sorbet



The citrus trees are all coming into fruit right now, and although we don't number a Mandarin in our own agrumi garden, hanging over the wall across the lane just across from the front gates at Santa Caterina is a Mandarin tree of venerable proportions which is currently dripping with fruit. And since the owners of the tree don't have access to the lane, and we seem to be the only people going along it right now.....well....it would be a shame to let all that fruit go to waste...

I like the look of bowls piled high with Mandarins - but the truth is, in this household, they tend not to get eaten. Hence this particular dish (which, in fact, could be used for pretty much any citrus fruit, I think, as long as you respect the proportions of fruit to sugar, water and egg white). I don't really know why, but this particular recipe produces a sorbet of unequalled creaminess, which doesn't become granular even after some time in the freezer. I made a batch of the stuff about two weeks ago, the last remnants of which we finished for dessert last night - and it was as smooth and creamy yesterday as when first made. You just have to remember when serving sorbet which has got rock hard in the freezer to let it sit for about an hour in the fridge beforehand.

For four.

Ingredients: 8 Mandarins; 500 ml Water; 250g Sugar; 1 Egg White.

Method:

1. Combine the Sugar and Water in a pan, and add the grated rind from four of the Mandarins. Bring to a boil, stirring all the time, and then reduce the heat to simmer for five minutes, stirring frequently to ensure the Sugar is completely dissolved. Allow to cool completely.

2. Add the squeezed juice from all eight Mandarins to the cooled sugar syrup, then sieve it to remove the grated rind.

3. Lightly beat the Egg White until frothy (but not yet stiff) and add this to the sugar syrup as you put the mixture into the ice cream machine. Process until it has reached the desired consistency.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I wanted to say how avidly I read you blog, not just for the delicious recipes but actually more importantly to get a glimpse of your life. In some ways, I can't believe you really exist, surely you must be the invention of a screenwriter. It's all so unfeasibly splendid that I reek of envy. Thank you.

Pomiane said...

Ah, but then maybe that's because I don't dwell on the unsplendidly all-too-feasible details like the fact that the mini-four-footed isn't yet entirely reliably housetrained (as I've just discovered, out on the loggia), and that today the weather is cold and grey and chucking it down. Mind you, the weather was a good excuse to hunker down in the Osteria dei Cavalieri for lunch, and indulge in the most delicious tagliatelle with a rabbit & asparagus sauce, washed down by an incomparable vernaccia...
My mother will appreciate the 'screenwriter' comment, though, for sure!

Anonymous said...

Details like bad weather and dogs without full control of their bowels only add texture and depth to the movie, I feel. A question: where on earth do they get asparagus from at this time of year?

Pomiane said...

The freezer, I imagine...

Anonymous said...

That scene will only make the director's cut, I fear.

Pomiane said...

Just goes to prove that I do indeed exist!