Pomegranate Sorbet

Name: Pomegranate Sorbet
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Sardinian, Italian
Ingredients: 2 pomegranates; 1½ tablespoons strained lemon juice; ⅓ cup castor sugar; ⅓ cup water; 1 teaspoon liquid glucose; 1 teaspoon pomegranate molasses

I love this Italian pomegranate sorbet – and the Italian name for pomegranates, melograno meaning ‘many seeds’. It’s so appropriate for this jewel-like fruit. This simple pomegranate sorbetto, with its balanced sweet/sour flavour from the pomegranate juice, lemon and pomegranate molasses, is inspired by my friend Giovanni Pilu (see video below). Giovanni taught me that using glucose syrup in sorbets and ice creams ensures a wonderfully smooth texture. Serve a little glass of Dal Zotto Elena dessert pinot grigio alongside your sorbetto al melograno for a truly Italian sweet treat.

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 pomegranates
1½ tablespoons strained lemon juice (30ml)
⅓ cup castor sugar (75g/2⅔oz)
⅓ cup water (80ml)
1 teaspoon liquid glucose (5ml)
1 teaspoon pomegranate molasses (5ml)

Method

Cut pomegranates in half.
Hold each half over a bowl, squeeze to loosen the seeds then tap the skin with a spoon to dislodge them; I find it easiest to do this into my cupped hand over the bowl to limit the amount of pomegranate juice that splatters around.
Use a small spoon or your fingers to extract any remaining seeds, avoiding as much of the membrane as possible.
Place seeds and juice in a blender with lemon juice and process until well combined.
Pass through a fine sieve into a bowl.
Add sugar, water, glucose and pomegranate molasses and whisk until sugar dissolves.
Churn in an ice cream machine.
Transfer pomegranate sorbet to a container, press a cartouche cut from baking paper onto the surface, cover and freeze until needed.