Few desserts refresh and excite our taste buds as lemon sorbet. Lemon is wonderful when paired within the citrus family but can be equally as delicious when harmonized with black or red currant, edible geranium, ginger, apricot, milk chocolate and others. Ginger, edible geranium and other flowers or herbs are simply extracted into the sorbet base syrup. All citrus including lemon and lime are always best when freshly squeezed.
Sometimes the difference between sorbet and sherbet are not clearly understood. It basically lies in dairy products, sorbet does not contain milk or cream while sherbet does.
When I make sorbet as a plated dessert I often keep the other components low or completely free of fat as well. I do this mainly because I believe that when people choose sorbet as their dessert choice, they oftentimes seek something easy and light to digest. On this plate in addition to the lemon sorbet I added apricot pate de fruit and a strip of Italian Meringue.
Lemon Sorbet | Lemon Sorbet with Rose Geranium
Yield: 10- 12 servings
| 22 oz | 22 oz | Water | 665 g |
| 1 ½ Cup | 12 oz | Extra fine granulated sugar | 360 g |
| 2 teaspoons | 2 tsp | Sorbet stabilizer (optional) | 8 g |
| 1/3 Cup | 4 oz | Invert sugar | 120 g |
| 2 ¼ Cups | 18 oz | Lemon juice | 530 g |
| ¼ cup | 0.5 oz | Rose geranium (optional) | 15 g |
- Pour water in a saucepan. Sift together the sugar and stabilizer (If using) and whisk into the water. Add the invert sugar and bring to a full boil.
- Add the rose geranium (if using) and cover with plastic film and allow the syrup to mature for 12-24 hours. (Maturing the syrup will result in a smoother sorbet which will develop fewer ice crystals during storing).
- Strain the syrup and add the lemon juice, churn according to your machine.
- Spread the sorbet on a pre-chilled and plastic lined hotel pan to desired depth.
- Freeze until hard and cut into desired shapes.
- Place on a plate and serve with apricot pate de fruit and a strip of Italian Meringue. Torch the meringue and serve.
Very nice presentation. Is the Italian meringue piped onto the sorbet or is it spread onto a Silpat, frozen and then cut into strips?
I don’t think you can freeze Italian meringue but maybe I am wrong.
I have had it melt in high humidity before here in Texas.
That is a beautiful presentation, I would love to come to Houston
to take classes from you Chef Eddie. 🙂 Bren
Yet another hot day (one of many, many to come!) and this just looks so good and cool and fresh and amazing! I want some so badly right now, I can’t stand it!
Your creations are so tempting, Chef Eddy!!
Wow Chef Eddy. Very Nice. What a great way to kick-off June with a clean, tempting and chic summer treat. This is a beautiful presentation. Anita
Beautiful!! It looks amazing! I can’t wait to try!
hi chef! Could I use gelatin instead of sorbet stabilizer ?
Chef, where can I get the Rose Geranium? Love it Love it!! Can’t wait to take another of your classes, to learn alot from you 😀
Lovely Chef Eddy. A question: how would you work milk chocolate into this dish and are you suggesting that bittersweet’s flavor is too dark or not sweet enough to be in that pairing?
Thanks, Darienne
Hi Darienne,
If I would add milk chocolate to this dessert I would do it as a milk chocolate sherbet or a milk chocolate sauce.
All the best, Eddy
Thanks for the reply, Chef Eddy. Darienne
Chef Eddy where I can find the rose geranium, I been using a lot of rose water but no the rose geranium, thanks
Hi Claudia,
You can find it as a pure food grade essential oil from a health food store or as a plant in better stocked nurseries.
All the best!
Eddy
The white part is a flat piece of meringue… lemon sorbet cube block…
Beautiful Chef Eddy! In trying to think of other options, mabye a quenelle of the sorbet served in a bowl with a fruit”consomme” and sprinkle with a crumble? I think I saw that somewhere. Does torching the meringue after plating melt the sorbet? I’ve never tried to torch anything but my luck I’ll end up with a soup! 🙂
I never knew how easy a sorbet was to make, until I made it for Ala Carte, oh my word this will be incorporated in some of my family meals. Great addition I’ve learned so much this semester in your class.