Strawberry and Champagne Sorbet
Strawberries and champagne? Yes. Please. Serve it plain or paired with a scoop of rich vanilla ice cream or a little whipped cream for contrast.
1 lb (4 cups) ripe, flavorful strawberries (I like Florida strawberries this time of year!)
½ cup plus 2 tbs strawberry preserves
Pinch of salt
2 tsp fresh lemon juice, or to taste
¼ cup water
½ cup champagne (I like using dry Brut)
Rinse and hull the berries and put them in a food processor or blender with 1/2 cup of the preserves and the salt. Purée until smooth. Add the lemon juice, water, and champagne and pulse to mix. Taste and add the remaining jam as necessary for sweetness and adjust the lemon juice and salt if necessary. The purée should taste a little bit sweeter than you think it should. Scrape the mixture into a shallow pan, cover, and freeze until hard, 3 to 4 hours. Break the frozen mixture into chunks with a fork and process in the food processor or blender until there are no more frozen pieces. Continue to process, stopping to redistribute the mixture from time to time, until it is smooth and creamy and lightened in color. It may be frozen enough to serve right out of the food processor, or you can return it to the freezer until needed. If the sorbet freezes too hard, let it soften in the fridge for about 15 minutes, or carefully soften it in the microwave on the defrost setting, a few seconds at a time.
About the Chef
Stephanie Goldfarb is a Chicago-based chef and national food television personality specializing in seasonal, globally-inspired cuisine. Recognized as the winner of Food Network’s America’s Best Cook competition, and a celebrity chef on Kitchen Inferno and NBC’s Food Fighters, Goldfarb delivers unique and relatable culinary experiences to discriminating and casual diners alike. As the owner of the successful Seven Species Supper Club & Catering, she enjoys the challenge of building brand new menus each month that inspire both repeat clients and newcomers, and seeks opportunities to utilize new ingredients, techniques, and approaches in accessible ways.