A Midsummmer Night's Dessert: Sorbets & Sopapillas
Amidst the sweltering heat of a midsummer’s night, cool off and refresh the senses with a scoop of fresh icy-cold sorbet and a fluffy citrus-kissed sopapilla drizzled with orange blossom honey. It’s a simply-dreamy summertime dessert!
Summer Sorbets
Abundant sun-ripened seasonal fruit provides the base for summer sorbets. Take advantage of market stands overflowing with sweet berries, juicy peaches, tropical mangos, and tart cherries by turning them into frozen treats bursting with fresh flavor.
Sorbets (sor-BAYS) are not only healthier and lighter than their cream-based cousins (ice creams, gelati, sherbets), they are also quicker and easier to make. This is because sorbet is made using a flavored sugar syrup base instead of a more labor-intensive custard base. The concoction’s characteristic smooth texture results from churning air into the base mixture, which is where an ice cream machine comes in handy. If this step is skipped, the result is an icy texture more typical of a granita.
While sorbet’s sugar syrup base is traditionally created with equal parts sugar and water, the following recipes feature a honey syrup base. Honey is a less refined sweetener, and offers beneficial antioxidant and antimicrobial properties that are not present in table sugar. Its signature flavor, combined with seasonal fruit and a touch of floral essences, is the secret to these magical frozen delights.
