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Luscious blackberry sorbet served with fresh blackberries and garnished with lemon verbena. A great hot weather treat!

Taking advantage of the great blackberry season and my prolific herb garden , Blackberry Lemon Verbena Sorbet is my own creation after reading about herbal syrups and compatible herbs and fruits. Sorbets are light and refreshing in the summer months especially where I live in Georgia when the heat combined with the high humidity can wilt you pretty quickly. Not only made with fruits, sorbets can be made with most herbs and vegetables for savory options such as an intermezzo,a term typically used in music as a brief interlude of lighter works performed between longer and more serious works, but in culinary terms,, cleanses the palate for the next course.

Blackberry Lemon Verbena Sorbet

Ingredients


1 cup (240 ml) water

1 1/4 cup (250 grams) granulated white sugar

10 fresh lemon verbena leaves

1 pound (454 grams)fresh blackberries, washed and drained well, or frozen unsweetened blackberries

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons blackberry or raspberry liqueur (optional)

Bring water to a boil in saucepan, remove from heat and stir in sugar. When dissolved, add lemon verbena leaves and let steep 10 minutes. Strain sugar syrup, discard leaves and place in a covered container in refrigerator until cold.

Meanwhile,( if using frozen blackberries, thaw them), otherwise place fresh blackberries and lemon verbena sugar syrup in a saucepan, bring to a boil and continue to boil for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes, then pour contents in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Strain the mixture to remove the seeds. This may take awhile, just keep stirring the puree to allow the juices to run through the sieve. Add lemon juice and liqueur, if desired, and chill until very cold. Following instructions for your ice cream maker, process the sorbet. The sorbet will be the consistency of soft ice cream. Place in very cold containers and freeze for at least 2 hours. If frozen longer, place in refrigerator for about 20 minutes until soft enough to serve.

Makes about 4 cups sorbet.