strawberry sorbet with balsamic, infused with basil & black pepper

I was inspired to create this recipe from Brandon Matzek who I ‘met’ on Twitter.  He tweeted about a delicious drink he had made, and I loved the sound of it.

I will definitely do the drinks recipe sometime, but thought these flavours would work really well for a sorbet. I added the black pepper which compliments the strawberries and balsamic so well.

What you will need:

• 1 cup of sugar
• 3 cups of water
• a big handful of basil, leaves and stalks
• a good few grinds of black pepper
• 3 cups of strawberries
• 3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

how to make:

• Put to the sugar and water in a small pot and heat to dissolve
• Gently bruise the basil in a pestle and mortar to release the essence and add this to the sugar water
• Add the few grinds of black pepper
• Heat through until a simmer then allow to cool and the basil to infuse further (you could leave over night, but I bashed the leaves around a bit more in the pot to get all the flavour out)
• Strain the sugar syrup and discard the basil leaves and pepper
• Blend the strawberries and balsamic in a food processor
• Add the basil and pepper infused sugar syrup and blend until all liquidised
• Pour the mixture into and ice cream machine and churn until done

I found the sugar to fruit ratio to be perfectly balanced, and the basil essence and balsamic coming through in subtle layers. The nutty pepper adds depth, and the heat catches ever so slightly at the top of the throat.

Overall it has full, slightly complex and intense flavour which I love.