Tuesday 31 May 2011

Pineapple, Lime & Chilli Sorbet

My ice cream maker hasn't been dusted off and busted out in a while. One might say I lost the love after the salted caramel butter ice cream. How could I top those heady heights? With a shadow of resignation, I got to work. For a while now I'd had the idea of pineapple and lime sorbet. Or mint? Pineapple and mint? Or lime? With gin? Tequila?

In the end, I settled on pineapple and lime with a hint of chilli and served with a few chunks of sweet strawberry, it worked a treat. Smooth, fluffy sorbet was heavily scented with pineapple, spiked through with lime and with a slow, confusing burn. Out of 8 of us who ate it a bewildered murmur went through the group. "Is there ginger in this?" "there's a strange hot-cold thing going on..." I smiled smugly at my secret, eventually revealing the truth.

Pineapple, Lime & Chilli Sorbet

Serves 8

1 ripe pineapple (give the inner most central green leaves a tug. If it comes out easily it's ripe.)
1 large lime
1 red birds eye chilli
100gr sugar
120mls water

In a saucepan, add the sugar and the water. Make a small slit in the chilli but do not slice through completely. Bring to the boil and simmer for a minute, take off the heat, remove the chilli and leave to cool.

Peel and core the pineapple, and chop into chunks. Place in a blender with the juice of the lime and the sugar solution. Blend vigorously until smooth - I left it blending away for about 3 minutes. Chill well, and then place in your ice cream maker. Alternatively, place in a container in the freezer, blending well every couple of hours a few times so that large ice crystals don't form.

9 comments:

PDH said...

Sounds great, love the addition of the Chilli! I'm wanting to try making Chocolate & Chilli Ice cream at some point soon...

stevie said...

I was so close to trying this, and yet, so far! : (

S said...

these are just the sort of flavour combos which i love- bec in Pakistan a fruit chaat (salad) comprises of chopped fruit dusted w lots of masalas. this is like an ice cream fruit chaat- love. x shayma

catty said...

Urgh this sounds exactly like what I want to eat RIGHT NOW. perfect almost guilt free (sorbet! fruit!) dessert. Love the simple recipe although I do wish I had an ice cream maker!

Unknown said...

Chilli and pineapple - love it - actually sounds quite tasty as well as intriguing

Helena Lee said...

These flavours are inspired.

My mother has an obsession with salting pineapples (be careful if you're offered chopped pineapple in the Lee household), and sometimes with a hint of chilli. Quite pleasant. x

Graphic Foodie said...

Yup. This rings my bells.

gozgozgozgozgozgozgzo said...

babe this looks awesome!
gozigozgozgozgoz

Brockley Newbie said...

What ice cream maker do you use? Whenever I use mine it doesn't freeze properly and I end up with semi frozen slushy which I then put in the freezer and it turns to a sorbet come ice lolly! Any tips?