Cider ice lollies have always been one of my favourites and invariably my choice from the shop ice cream cabinet. I was delighted, therefore, to find this recipe. The sorbet is smooth from the apple puree and soft as the alcohol content stops it from freezing too hard. We felt that it seemed extra cold even when soft, so it was very cooling and refreshing.
The recipe comes from my favourite Ice Cream book: Making Ice Creams & Desserts by Joanna Farrow & Sara Lewis. I changed the title from Apple Sorbet to Cider-Apple Sorbet to indicate the inclusion of cider as some may prefer a recipe without alcohol. The original recipe suggested that the apples were cored but unpeeled but I found removing the pieces of peel rather time consuming. It may be that there is a nutritional, colour or flavour value from cooking apple peel, so I suggest first removing the apple peel but still cooking it with the fruit. Peelings can easily be removed from the pan before the apple is pureed. Originally the apples were cooked in half of the water with the remainder added before freezing, but I simplified this adding all the water at once. Also, some green food colour was suggested to give a green tint, however I’m not too sure about additives. Anyway I like the gentle sandy beige/pale cider colour, a similar but much paler version of commercial cider ice lollies. If you do use colour, the book recommends making the colour just a little darker than you want when finished as Sorbet turns paler as it freezes.
Cider-Apple Sorbet
(Serves 6-8)
500g/1¼lb Granny Smith apples (be generous!)
150g/5ozs sugar
300ml/½pint water
250ml/8fl ozs strong dry Cider
A few drops Green food colouring (optional)
Thin strips of lime rind or (reserved uncooked) apple peel to decorate
1. Peel and core the apples. Roughly chop the fruit and place in a saucepan with the peel, but not the cores.
2. Add the caster sugar and the water. Cover and simmer for around 10 minutes or until the apples are soft.
3. Remove the apple peel and puree the fruit (or push it through a sieve placed over a bowl).
4. Stir the cider into the apple puree and the boiling water from the apples. Add a very small amount of green colouring. Omitting this will produce a soft beige/pale cider colour. Sorbet goes lighter as it freezes so make the colour just a little darker than you want when finished.
5. Ice Cream maker:
Pour into machine and churn. When the mixture is slushy transfer to a container and freeze.
6. By hand:
If you do not have an ice cream maker, pour the mixture into a plastic container and freeze until slushy. Remove once or twice and whisk to break up the ice crystals. Return to freezer for at least four hours.
7. To serve:
Defrost in the fridge for about 20minutes before serving. Serve garnished with the lime rind or twists of apple peel reserved from earlier.