h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: Sorbet - Sweet and Savoury Recipes - A87996253
Author: h2g2 Guide Editors - U14916653

We've been raiding the archives of The Post and found some Entries that are worthy of making the crossover into the Edited Guide!

Here's a little recipe by shazzPRME U48304

While combining sorbet and prawns seems exotic to me, the recipe looks great!

I agree!

A sorbet is an ideal "palette cleanser" between courses of a heavy meal, or if you wish to draw out a meal and spend a winter evening or Sunday lunch with family and friends around the table.

I have used a rhubarb sorbet for this, but also thought of cucumber, melon or pineapple. If you are looking for a light accompaniment to a substantial pudding such as a crumble or a pie, a raspberry, blackcurrant, lemon or orange sorbet would serve as an alternative to whipped cream, custard or a milk-based ice cream.

At Christmas you could serve an orange and cointreau sorbet with the hristmas pudding, but I think you should still include the traditional high-calorie brandy butter or other accompaniment the family are used to.

I find that sorbets, being water-based, melt quickly. So only take them out just before serving. If you have space in the freezer, you can scoop them into balls or quenelles in advance and leave them on a tray in the freezer ready to pop on the plates. I've also just had the idea or freezing them in portions in patty tins, not sure how that would work, though.

They also take a long time to freeze hard enough, so make them well in advance - at least 2 days! - but not in the evening, because the stirring and mashing at regular intervals are important during the initial freezing/hardening process.

By the way, I have no quibbles with the entry as such, nothing to "nitpick"!

However, it may be an idea to add that when tasting (step 2) it is best to bearing mind that freezing dulls the taste. Ice cream for example, should taste slightly too sweet before it is frozen, so the tomato version might need to be sweeter or spicier than you would have it if you were just drinking it. I have a carton of tomato juice on the go at the moment. I'll try and see which, and will report back in a couple of days.

On closer examination, the tomato recipe doesn't say to whip the egg whites separately and fold them in at the end, but from the start to mix ALL the ingredients together. As it goes on to say it should be "light and fluffy" I think this could best be achieved by beating the egg whites and adding them last.

Many thanks TC

The Entry has been updated We look forward to finding out how you get on with your tomato juice

I'm afraid I drank the tomato juice. But I've bought another and will start again tomorrow morning. Er, what was the question again?


Oh yes, I think it was whether the sorbet needs over-sweetening or over-salting to get the right taste. (Well, my taste, anyway)

Just checked the updated version. Somehow the vodka has found its way into the lemon sorbet - wasn't it in the tomato one before?

Suits both, of course. There is Vodka Lemon and Bloody Mary, so go ahead!

The Lemon Sorbet has optional vodka, but the Tomato and Vodka one has vodka by design

Well, it took a while, but I finally got round to making the tomato sorbet today.

I made half measures and didn't have any vodka so I used schnaps. This meant that I made 300 ml (plus the lemon juice and other ingredients) and divided it up into two smaller containers. To the one I added extra sugar, to the other I added extra salt. I don't have Worcester sauce or tabasco, but I never add them anyway. I'm probably not really a good judge of a bloody mary, as I don't really like things hot and spicy.

I was very careful with measurements and discovered in the process that a dessertspoon in the US has nearly 12 ml, but a standard British dessertspoon is 10 ml. I'm not sure the measurements need be quite so precise for the purposes of this recipe, but it was an interesting discovery.

Will report on the results tomorrow evening.

So, how did it taste?

I've been away for a couple of days but I promise to have a look this evening. I hope to doll them up à bit and take some photos. Sorry, can someone let me know where to send photos please.

[email protected]

OK I've taken some photos. I then had to eat what I'd served up. I recommend only serving tiny portions. The sorbets have a very high water content and it's like chewing on crushed ice. Not pleasant for sensitive teeth! Also it was very hard to get it into any shape.

For the photo I ended up pressing it into individual jelly moulds.

I should have frozen it in ice cube trays, shot glasses or mini muffin trays. Maybe even in hollowed out tomatoes.

It melts very quickly. Frequent whipping up while it freezes is imperative, or the crystals set too large.

As for the taste, I just found that adding extra salt made it saltier but didn't really enhance it. Tabasco is the only way here, I fear.

As you will see on the photos, I garnished it with some balsamic vinegar and a little bit of cream cheese, both of which complemented the tomato sorbet extremely well.

Photos received

<BB<

Thanks for testing this recipe out, TC - your expertise is much appreciated

Image: Sorbet_on_plate_promo.jpg by TC

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