Plum and Mixed Berry Sorbet

Have you ever thought of a “great” idea and then it turns out to be a fail? Then you think of something to save the “great” idea, and it turns out to be one of your best creations? That is what happened to me with this Plum and Mixed Berry Sorbet. Let me tell you what happened…

It all started when I had about 13 REALLY ripe plums. I hate wasting food, so I thought what could I do with these plums? Plum Sorbet! That was my answer. I proceeded to slice the plumbs, pit them, cook them, blend them, I added some yummy ingredients. Finally I froze the Plum Sorbet. I envisioned the Plum sorbet tasting like that first bite of a ripe plum, except in the form of smooth sorbet.

The moment of truth came about 6 hours later, and I was eager to try my little experiment. I lifted my spoon and tried the Plum sorbet….it tasted like prune juice. Ummm, not what I was expecting. Maybe a little longer in the freezer I thought. An hour later, I let my husband try it. He loves trying my food, and usually loves my new recipes. He opened his mouth to taste it…I studied his face as he savored and swallowed the sorbet. He looked disappointed. “It tastes like prunes”, he said. He hates prunes.

Now what, I wanted to save my sorbet, so I took a chance and blended up a bunch of berries, blueberries, blackberries, and strawberries. The berries were then mixed it into the Plum Sorbet, and back into the freezer it went to be tasted it in the morning.

Next morning, I was pleasantly surprised. The Plum and mixed berry sorbet’s taste was berry forward, and as the sorbet began to melt on my palate I could taste a refreshing plum flavor. It was a great balance. I had saved it, but beyond that my son said “Mom this one is my favorite thing you have made!” I hope you will agree with him and give it a try.

Sorbet is perfect for summer. It is cold, refreshing and almost entirely fruit. The guilt factor for eating a dessert goes down remarkably when the dessert is 95% fruit. I mean, it could almost be considered healthy, right? This plum and mixed berry sorbet is the no churn sort. Truth is many of my recipes come from me wanting to use produce or fruit that would otherwise be wasted. Ripe fruit makes the best desserts. In this case, I cook the plums , add the berries raw, then blend them add, a bit of sugar, gelatin, and alcohol. Freeze the sorbet, then break it in chunks and use a blender or food processokr to blend one last time. Freeze, and enjoy! That is really all there is to it. The hardest thing is waiting for it to freeze.