Prickly Pear & Prosecco Sorbet√

Not all prickly pears are created equal. They come in different sizes and colors. The prickly pear plants sold by the Edible Plant Project come from Farmer John. They are small and a deep and fluorescent purple in color. They have a delicate, slightly tart flavor. Their main gift is their color which is rarely found in anything edible. The closest is maybe the beetroot. My plants are only a year old and are still establishing themselves so they haven't fruited yet. I was over the moon to see that Farmer John had a box of prickly pears for sale at the farmer's market last week so I bought a big bagful and made a syrup.

Using my rubberized garden gloves I cut them in half and scooped out the innards into a stainless steel pan with a spoon. I covered them with water and simmered them till soft - for about 30-45 minutes. Then I mashed them gently with a potato masher and sieved and squeezed them carefully to get just the juice i.e. no pulp. I chilled this in the fridge.

I made a simple syrup next: one cup of sugar to one cup of water - simmered till dissolved then chilled in the fridge.

I mixed 2 cups of simple syrup to 2 cups of prickly pear juice and the juice of 2 small lemons.
I put this mixture into my ice cream maker and after 20 minutes came back to find it all finished.

Here's the problem - it didn't taste so good - it was too strong - too sweet, too sharp - it tasted like candy.
For some reason I didn't want to just water it down ...
I trawled through my fridge and the pantry to see if there was anything that I could add that would dilute it - without adding water. That's when I noticed the bottle of prosecco chilling at the back of the fridge - prosecco is a light, crisp, low alcohol, low cost, sparkling wine from the North of Italy. Perfect! I added the whole bottle! That sounds like a lot but it was only just over 4 cups ... actually it is still pretty much 'a lot' but I was on a roll ....

I let the sorbet thaw a little and mixed in the prosecco (i had to use a whisk to incorporate it properly) and froze it again. If I were starting from scratch I would add the prosecco after it had started to freeze to try and preserve a few bubbles!

I served it at the end of a rich meal with Amaretto Biscuits, It was delightfully tasty and refreshing as well as beautiful to look at all at the same time. The alcohol content means that it is soft enough to serve straight out of freezer.


Alternatives to prosecco? Be careful with using a white wine instead - they are not all created equal either. A super light, low alcohol white wine might work - with less wine and a bit more water so the taste doesn't dominate. Or maybe a little sparkling elderflower - I'm not sure if you can buy it easily in the US yet. It has a delightfully floral taste that reminds me of an English hedgerow - something I always miss from my homeland.