Raspberry tomato rose sorbet

Hi!

Writing this recipe poolside in Mallorca - admittedly there are worse places to write. I skipped the pool bar so any typos are mine alone and not to be blamed on the frozen daiquiris.

It is only our second day, and already I am stuffing myself with the most beautiful peaches, watermelon and tomatoes so fragrant it could make someone weep with joy. I’m planning on bringing home as many peaches I can fit in my luggage…

Before we left I made this raspberry/tomato/rose sorbet. I’d been thinking of a raspberry + sorbet for a while not knowing what to pair them with. To contrast or to amplify? Raspberry is one of my favourite fruits for sorbet. It can become incredibly creamy and decadent, like an ice cream, while maintaining that beautiful, bright acidity of a sorbet. In the end I went with amplify. Or maybe more like complement.

Raspberry and rose is a modern classic for a reason, and raspberries and tomatoes both share citrusy and floral notes. A favourite summer jam of mine has for years been tomato and rose scented geraniums!

The sorbet turned out beautifully. Sweet and tart with an underlying savouriness from the tomatoes and a subtle floral taste of the rose water.

Raspberry-tomato-rose sorbet

Makes 1l mixture for 1,25-1,5l finished sorbet

300g raspberries, fresh or frozen 250g ripe tomatoes (like vine ripened plum tomatoes, cherry tomatoes or similar sweet varieties)
125g granulated sugar
70g invert sugar or mild honey
230g water
2g carrageenan or locust bean gum (optional, but improves overall texture!)
25g lemon juice 1 tsp rose water
Pinch of salt, to taste

Prepare a large bowl with ice cold water in the sink.

Add the raspberries, tomatoes, sugar, invert sugar/honey, water and carrageenan, if using, to a medium, heavy bottom saucepan.

Heat to 82-85C while stirring frequently.

Remove the saucepan from direct heat, blend the sorbet mixture with an immersion blender before passing through a chinois or fine mesh sieve into a clean bowl.

Nestle the bowl in the ice bath, add lemon juice and and cool the mixture to 5-10C while whisking occasionally to speed up the process.

Season to taste with salt and rose water.

Refrigerate the sorbet base overnight. Blend with a hand blender to liquify the sorbet mixture before churning in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions.