Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups Water + 1 1/2cup of water
2 1/4 cups Sugar
4 stalks of lemongrass
1 bunch of Thai Basil (or Italian if Thai is not available)
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2-3 tropical fruits – pineapple, mango, jackfruit, duryan, … the stinkier the better 🙂
Preparation Steps:
1. In a sauce pan bring 2 1/4 water and all the sugar to boil along with coarsely chopped stalks of lemongrass. When it starts boiling, reduce the flame to low and let it simmer for about 10 minutes until all the sugar dissolves. Do not stir or shake. Turn off the heat and let it cool to room temperature. This is, by the way, a common recipe for creating “simple syrup” that you can use in almost any sorbet.
2. Pluck all basil leaves and throw them in a mixer. Add 1 1/2 cup water. Turn the mixer on to liquefy for about 3 minutes or until all the leaves are completely homogenized with water. Strain the liquid in another container and throw away the solids (or dry them a little and use them in a pesto).
3. Set aside about 1/2 cup of simple syrup (for use in fruit salsa compote).
4. Pour rest of the simple syrup, strained basil extract and three tablespoons of lemon juice in a sorbet or ice cream maker. Turn it on for 45 minutes. If you don’t have ice cream maker then just pour it in a container and freeze it. Scrape the frozen mass into granita (better still, go ahead and buy an ice cream maker. It is a great investment.)
5. Pour the slushy mix in a glass container and freeze it for at least two hours. Take it out of freezer at least 10 minutes before serving.
6. In a cup, mix 1/2 cup of finely chopped fruit with the rest of the simple syrup. Let it sit for couple of hours for the juices to mix with the syrup.
7. Scoop the sorbet and pour a dollop of fruit salsa on top.
8. Close your eyes as the sorbet touches the tongue. Enjoy!
26 Cooks In The Kitchen 