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Zoe Francois' Raspberry Sorbet

Raspberry Sorbet

byZoë François
Total 1 hour (includes churning time)
Active 30 mins
Makes 1 quart
Special Equipment
an ice cream maker
Special Equipment
an ice cream maker
Ingredients
  • 8 cups (940 grams) fresh or frozen raspberries, thawed if frozen
  • 1 clean whole egg in the shell, for determining when the sorbet base is ready to freeze
  • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
  • About 1 cup Hibiscus Simple Syrup (exact amount will depend on sweetness of berries) (recipe follows)
  • About 1 cup Thai Chile Simple Syrup (exact amount will depend on sweetness of berries) (recipe follows)
    Hibiscus Simple Syrup
    • 1 cup sugar
    • 1 cup water
    • 2 tablespoons dried hibiscus flowers
      Thai Chile Simple Syrup
      • 1 cup sugar
      • 1 cup water
      • 5 fresh Thai bird chiles, more or less to taste
        Directions
        1. Puree the raspberries in a blender; if using frozen thawed raspberries, include the juices. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve to remove the seeds. You should end up with about 3 cups of raspberry puree.
        2. Put your raspberry puree in a container that has room to add more liquid and is deep enough that you can submerge the egg in its shell. Gently place the egg in the container. At this point it will probably sink straight to the bottom, so don’t just drop it in. If it heads to the bottom, remove it and add about 1/2 cup of the hibiscus simple syrup. Stir and try the egg again.
        3. This time, when you put the egg in, it should be suspended in the liquid, maybe not to the surface yet, but hovering just below. Remove the egg.
        4. Add 1/2 cup of the Thai chile simple syrup and stir. Place the egg in the sorbet; now you can see it starting to emerge. It needs to be about the size of a quarter above the surface to indicate that there is enough sugar in your solution. Add more of the hibiscus and Thai chile simple syrups, a couple of tablespoons at a time, until you have the right level.
        5. Once the egg is floating high enough, remove it. Pour the mixture into your ice cream maker and proceed according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Use or freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
        1. Hibiscus Simple Syrup
          1. In a small saucepan, bring the sugar, water, and hibiscus to a simmer. Allow to simmer until the sugar is completely dissolved. Turn off the heat and let sit until cool. Use or refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 1 month.
        1. Thai Chile Simple Syrup
          1. In a small saucepan, bring the sugar, water, and chiles to a simmer. Allow to simmer until the sugar is completely dissolved. Turn off the heat and let sit until cool. Use or refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 1 month.