The Flavor of Flowers
By JIM LONG
My interest in flower sorbets came, oddly enough, from a garage sale find. Unwilling to pass up a good garage sale on my way to an herb festival in Iowa, I spotted a Donvier sorbet maker on a table of kitchen items. I was only moderately curious about sorbets, but the gadget, still in its original box, was marked $5. The owner quickly walked over when she saw me examining the appliance and, eager to make a sale, said, “It was a wedding present, and I’ve never used it. If you want it, it’s yours for $3.”
I took it. I knew from reading cooking magazines that a new sorbet maker sold for about $40. Surely I could find a use for it.
I soon learned that sorbets are so simple and easy I could make one while I visited with guests over dinner. The liquid-filled liner of the Donvier stays in my freezer, so when I have guests, all I need is chilled juice, some flowers or herbs, and I can whip up a sorbet while I’m sitting at the table sharing the main course with guests. It only takes about 15 minutes to freeze sorbets using this type of freezer: It’s hand-cranked, and all that’s required is to pour the already-chilled liquid into the freezer container, put on the lid and every two or three minutes, turn the crank one turn.
Cathy Wilkinson Barash, author of Edible Flowers: From Garden to Palate (Fulcrum Press, 1995) taught me about lilac sorbet (click here for recipe). “I know you love the fragrance of lilacs,” she said, “and the flavor is that and more.”
She was right. I’ve always loved lilacs, but never realized they were edible. With her suggestions, I soon was cranking out lilac blossom sorbets to amaze my guests. The heady fragrance and heavenly flavor of lilacs are such tangible elements of springtime that lilac sorbet has become a tradition for me each spring. Once I kept a container of this sorbet for some months, to enjoy the springtime treat later in the season, and the flavor held up extremely well.
That first foray into flower sorbets led me to try wild plum blossom sorbet, followed soon by pansy sorbets and violet, too. And rose! The enchanting flavor of rose sorbet is so provocative you feel as though your senses have found paradise. Your taste buds come alive with the sweet fragrance of the sorbet until you aren’t sure if you’re tasting or inhaling the frozen treat.
I recently visited the Herbfarm Restaurant in Woodinville, Washington. Jerry Traunfeld, chef of The Herbfarm, serves sorbets as palate cleansers between some of the courses (Editor's Note: Traunfeld has since left as chef of The Herbfarm). In The Herbfarm Cookbook (Scribner, 2000), he writes, “Sorbets have a brilliant capacity for capturing the essence of botanical flavors, and their cool, light texture and balance of sweet and tart refreshes like nothing else.”
Traunfeld uses lemon verbena as a sorbet base flavor, often combining it with ‘Mabel Gray’ lemon geranium leaves. His Black Pansy Sorbet is stunning — a kind of hot magenta — and uses very simple ingredients: black pansies, sugar, water and lemon juice. His combinations inspired me to come up with more (click here for recipes or click here for a list of ingredients perfect for creating your own recipe). The flavor and texture is pleasant whether used between courses or as a light dessert.
Methods
There are two main methods for making a sorbet from flowers or herbs:
- The cooked method requires you to steep the flowers in hot sugar water, strain and add the remaining ingredients.
- The uncooked method requires the use of a food processor to blend superfine sugar with flowers or herbs and then add the remaining ingredients.
You don’t have to have the Donvier sorbet maker. However, I’ve tried several and found the Donvier 1-quart ice cream freezer to be my favorite. It’s quick, reliable, easy to use, simple to clean and freezes a very firm sorbet in just minutes. There are several electric frozen yogurt/sorbet mixers (including Cuisinarts) on the market that work well. Or you simply can pour the prepared liquid into a metal bowl in your freezer and stir well with a whisk every 5 minutes. After about 30 minutes, you’ll have a good slush and you can let it finish freezing.
Serves 4 to 6
This recipe is courtesy of Cathy Wilkinson Barash, who says she adapted it from her dianthus sorbet recipe in her book Edible Flowers: From Garden to Palate (Fulcrum Press, 1995).
- 2 cups water
- ¼ cup sugar
- ½ cup lilac florets,* stems removed and coarsely chopped (the stronger scented, the better)
- Pour water into an enamel or stainless steel saucepan. Add sugar and florets, stirring well to dissolve sugar.
- Bring liquid to a boil, turn down heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.
- Pour into an ice cream maker and process according to manufacturer’s directions.
- If not serving immediately, scoop sorbet onto waxed paper in serving-sized portions, on a cookie sheet and freeze. Once frozen, put in a freezer bag.
Serving suggestion: Put a sweet-flavored daylily flower (pistils and stamens removed) in a wineglass, then add a scoop of the sorbet. Top with candied lilac blossoms.
*Dark-colored flowers produce an interesting color sorbet; light-colored flowers produce an almost translucent white sorbet.
Pineapple-Verbena Sorbet
Serves 4
I served this after a main course of Mexican Mint Chicken Salad, Stuffed Tomatoes and Indian Flat Bread, and before a tantalizing dessert of Lemon Balm Blueberry Cake.
- 3 to 4 fresh lemon verbena leaves, partially cut up
- 1 can frozen pineapple juice concentrate, thawed but still cold
- 2½ cups cold water (or about 2 juice cans of water)
- In blender, place the lemon verbena leaves, pineapple juice concentrate and 1 cup of the cold water. Blend well until the leaves are completely pulverized.
- Add the remaining water and pour the mixture into a hand-cranked or electric sorbet mixer. Freeze until firm.
Serve in previously frozen bowls. (I freeze the spoons, as well.) The sorbet stays firmer that way when serving it on a warm summer day.
Blackberry Basil Sorbet
Serves 4 to 6
I threw this together when some local television photographers came by right before lunchtime. I often try to feed reporters garden fare so they can better understand the garden they are photographing. Blackberries were in season, and the ‘Ruby Queen’ basil was looking especially good. The resulting sorbet has become one of my summer favorites.
- 1 cup water
- 2 cups sugar
- 4 or 5 fresh basil leaves (‘Ruby Queen’, cinnamon or any of your favorite basils work for this)
- 3 cups blackberry juice (use bottled, or make by cooking down fresh or frozen blackberries, straining and reserving the juice, and adding water if needed)
- Juice of ½ lemon
- In a blender, combine the water, sugar, basil leaves and half the blackberry juice. Blend well to dissolve the sugar (or you can heat half the juice and dissolve the sugar if you desire; the blender method works faster for me).
- Blend the leaves until well pulverized, add the remaining blackberry and lemon juice, and chill well, about 1 hour, before pouring into sorbet or ice cream mixer.
Serve as a dessert with a basil leaf garnish. Blackberry Basil Sorbet is a beautiful deep, maroon color that looks stunning served in a tall champagne glass that’s been frosted first.
Sweet William and Wine Sorbet
Serves 4
A wonderful palate cleanser that isn’t too sweet. The addition of the wine makes for a pleasantly smooth sorbet. This also makes a light, refreshing dessert in summer, served with a crispy cookie.
- ½ cup sugar
- 1½ cups water
- ½ cup sweet William, clove pink or dianthus flowers (stems removed)
- ½ cup chardonnay or blush wine
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- In a saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar and water. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Add flowers, cover pan with a lid and let steep until cooled, about 30 minutes. When cool, strain and discard flowers (or blend them in the blender, if you like flecks of the flower color).
- Add wine and lemon juice to the sugar syrup; stir until thoroughly blended. Chill thoroughly, then transfer mixture to sorbet or ice cream maker and freeze.
Serving suggestion: On a chilled or frozen dessert plate, spread additional petals of dianthus (pinks). Place a pre-frozen scoop of sorbet in the middle and add a fresh mint sprig on the side.
Cinnamon Basil Sorbet
Serves 4 to 6
If you love cinnamon, you’ll love this one. It’s light, slightly fruity and adds a zesty twist to dessert or as a palate cleanser.
- 3 cups bottled or frozen apple juice
- 2 cups sugar
- 14 to 16 leaves cinnamon basil, or 3 sprigs 4 to 5 inches long
- Freshly squeezed juice of one lemon
- Combine apple juice and sugar in a saucepan and heat until sugar is just dissolved. Add cinnamon basil, cover and let steep 30 minutes.
- Remove basil leaves (or blend them and the juice in the blender). Add lemon juice and chill thoroughly. Freeze in ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions.
Earl Grey Tea Sorbet
Serves 4 to 6
This works best as a palate cleanser. It’s light and delicious.
- 3 cups water
- 1½ tablespoons Earl Grey tea leaves (or 2 teabags)
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Bring water to a boil and add tea leaves. Let steep for about 5 minutes or longer. Add sugar and stir until dissolved.
- Add lemon juice and chill well for 1 hour or more, then pour into an ice cream or sorbet maker.
Beautiful served with fresh raspberries, strawberries or tuberous begonia blossoms.
— Jim Long is a contributing editor to The Herb Companion and author of several books, including Fabulous Herb and Flower Sorbets (Long Creek Herbs). He can be reached at www.Longcreekherbs.com.