Sorbet Recipe Needed

My twin principles of sorbets:

1 - A sorbet is a perfect palate refresher between two heavy courses of between disparate courses of different tastes, to bridge the gap - a sort of palate reset button

2 - sorbets served in the middle of a meal must not be sweet

The latter is a principal often violated by even educated restaurateurs and chefs. If a sorbet mid-meal is sweet, it cloys the palate in direct proportion to how much sugar it carries.

I haven't been doing sorbets much but a recent return to the ice cream maker prompted me to wonder why, since it is one of those valued courses - something you can do completely ahead of time!

One of my favourite sorbets is Earl Grey tea - it is very subtle in flavour, helped by the bergamot they use in that blend. I am looking for something with more flavour density while retaining the ability to clean the palate and remembered a shiso sorbet I once tasted. Problem is that it was sweet.

Before I hit the ice cream maker and start trials, does anyone have a non-sweet shiso or any other sorbet? Obviously really sweet fruit even without added sugar is out while fruits with more modest sugar content can be in. To a degree, artificial sweeteners, in that that they are not as cloying as sugar, can be in - for instance I have used splenda to blunt the edges of the acidity in lemons. Using sugar to do the same thing would have been less successful as far as clean palate is concerned.

Other examples of sorbets I like for this is watermelon (not too sweet and you can add a few mint leaves to freshen it up) and strawberries and raspberries (not too ripe). The latter two are actually less sweet than apples, bananas, grapes etc.

[Jenise]

No recipes, but the best savory sorbets I've had were tomato and cucumber. The tomato one, at a restaurant in Chablis, was actually served on a tomato salad. Great combination.

Interesting idea! I'll let you know if I try that.

Bloody Mary Granita?
I actually use this on oysters but it is a delicious and savoury ice which may adapt to your purpose.

200 ml tomato juice
2 teas Worcester sauce
1 teas Tabasco
1.5 teas Dijon mustard
1tab vodka

Whisk all ingredients together.
Allow to stand for 1hour.
Strain and pour into shallow tray.
Freeze for an hour or until frozen around the edges, stir with a fork, repeat forming fluffy crystals.
Garnish with lemon and watercress

Memorable sorbets: Basil. Celery. Tomato.

I imagine juniper berry would work; just be careful not to make it too strong.

I have not liked sorbets made with hot flavors: Mustard. Black pepper. Red pepper.

Madras curry powder?

I like celery and tomato, wonder if basil might be too spicy for a palate cleanser, and want to make Barb's bloody mary just to taste it, even though it would probably be the opposite of a cleanser......sounds good!

Yeah Bill, probably more aperativo, but certainly good, very good
I’m trying to think of a way to use tomato water/consommé in a sorbet or granita that might work, maybe incorporate celery when making the tomato base, or infuse the celery afterwards.
Gazpacho sorbet?
Let us know what you come up with.

... Obviously really sweet fruit even without added sugar is out while fruits with more modest sugar content can be in. To a degree, artificial sweeteners, in that that they are not as cloying as sugar, can be in - for instance I have used splenda to blunt the edges of the acidity in lemons. Using sugar to do the same thing would have been less successful as far as clean palate is concerned.

I am not a fan of Splenda. That being said, my home wine making experience kicks in here. If one finishes a wine by using sucrose (table sugar) it will leave a cloying feeling in the mouth until about 6-8 weeks after bottling. The reason is because sucrose is a disaccharide (double sugar) made up of a molecule of glucose (dextrose) combined with a molecule of fructose, which has a much sweeter taste than the glucose. After time, the acid in the wine breaks the bonds between the sugars and the wine has a much cleaner mouthfeel. I would suggest using corn sugar (dextrose, glucose) in your sorbet. Many home brew stores carry it.
As an aside, the sugars in grapes are glucose and fructose in about the same proportion, by weight, as table sugar.

[Jenise]

I like celery and tomato, wonder if basil might be too spicy for a palate cleanser, and want to make Barb's bloody mary just to taste it, even though it would probably be the opposite of a cleanser......sounds good!

There is also the possibility of doing a tomato based aspic and not worrying about freezing.