Eau-de-vie de poire, or pear brandy, serves two purposes in this recipe. It adds a lovely accent of complex flavor to the sorbet, and the alcohol in it prevents the mixture from hardening into an ice block.
Prep Time: 1 hours
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 cups water
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- 4 ripe pears, peeled, cored, and chopped
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons eau-de-vie de poire, or pear brandy
Preparation:
In a small saucepan, bring the sugar and water to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 5 minutes, until the mixture reduces in volume and thickens. Chill the syrup for at least 30 minutes, until it is slightly cool. Process the syrup, cardamom, pears, lemon juice, and pear brandy in a blender until the mixture is smooth. Strain and then freeze the pear puree in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Makes 8 servings.
