The Culinary Works

The berries are coming, the berries are coming! I have started seeing the roadside stands open for business -- I love to use fresh strawberries in season for all kinds of cocktails -- here is a fun favorite!

Strawberry Prosecco Sorbet

Sorbet is usually churned smooth in an ice cream maker, but these ingredients lend themselves equally well to granita. Made with the same ingredients as sorbet, granita is a feathery-light frozen dessert textured like shaved ice.

• 3 cups ripe strawberries, lightly mashed with the back of a fork
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 cup Prosecco
• 3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• Pinch salt

Set up a double boiler by arranging a stainless steel bowl over a saucepan filled with 1 to 2 inches of simmering water. Put the strawberries and sugar in the bowl and stir occasionally until the sugar has dissolved. The berries will have broken down slightly but shouldn’t be mushy. Remove the bowl from the heat. When the berries are cool, purée them. Add the prosecco, lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Makes 1 pint.

For sorbet:

Freeze according to your ice cream machine manufacturer’s instructions.

For granita:

Pour the mixture into a shallow pan approximately 8 by 8 inches and place it in the freezer. Every 30 minutes for the next 2 to 2 1/2 hours, roughly stir up the mixture with the tines of a fork until no liquid remains and the granita has a light, icy texture. Freeze until completely frozen, 8 hours to overnight.