Melon-ginger sorbet

It is hot in Gurgoan, really hot. I have been striving to cool down, and sorbets are one way I have found to keep cool. One of the main reasons I bought my own ice cream maker a few years ago was to be able to make low-sugar ice creams and sorbets. I was getting frustrated by commercial ice creams that load their products with excessive sugar, so I wanted to move past that.

The world of ice creams is large and complex. This is my attempt to break this world down as I picture it.

• Non-milk based:

  • Ice or granita: Made without churning, frozen in the freezer, and occasionally flaked with a fork. Larger crystal structure that melts on your palate.

  • Sorbet: Made primarily with fruit pulp or puree and sugar, and very little water. It is churned into a smooth, small crystal structure.

  • Sherbet: A sorbet essentially, but it contains a very small amount of milk or yoghurt, giving it a slightly creamy texture.

  • Paletas: Mexican in origin, they are frozen sticks of sorbet or ice cream.

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• Milk-Based:

  • Ice cream: Can use milk or cream, and must have at least 10% milkfat. Churned at high speed to incorporate air.

  • Frozen custard: A French technique wherein egg yolks are made into a custard form. It makes for a richer and silkier ice cream.

  • Gelato: Italian in origin, uses milk primarily with a lower fat content of 4-9%. It is slow-churned for a richer mouthfeel.

  • Frozen yoghurt: Made with yoghurt for a lighter and creamier mouthfeel.

  • Soft serve: It is essentially ice cream, but the continual churning adds upto 60% air to the ice cream, giving it the characteristic texture.

  • Kulfi: An Indian frozen dessert, non-churn. Made with thickened milk and cream for a rich palate feel.

This is a lovely sorbet, the seasonal melon shines, sweet and full of flavour. The sugar is just enough to sweeten the dessert, but do not let it overpower the delicate melon. The ginger arrives on the after-palate, a hint of spice that grows with every bite. The sorbet is about a fine balance, letting the three flavours, melon, sugar, and ginger, play in harmony.

I love Maria Elia's cookbooks, and I have them all. This one, though, is probably my favourite; the recipes are fantastic, and the flavours are creative. Maria Elia honed her skills at the world-renowned restaurants El Bulli and Arzak and has worked in the US and England. She currently does pop-ups in London. Her recipes feature unusual and unique flavour combinations from around the world.

For all recipes from this cookbook, click here.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup sugar

1 large yellow melon, of your choice, peeled and chunked

3/4 - 1 teaspoon ginger paste

15-20 Thai basil leaves

Juice of 1 - 1 1/2 limes

Method:

Heat the water and sugar until the sugar melts. No need to cook the syrup; it just needs to melt completely. Set aside to cool.

Puree the melon, ginger, and basil leaves until smooth. I like to pass the mix through a fine-mesh sieve to remove any bits, especially fibres from the ginger. Mix in the cold syrup and the juice of one lime for now.

Taste the mix, it should be barely sweet, the ginger mild on the after palate and the melon forward. The ginger will get stronger as the ice cream is churned, but be careful not to draw out the melon's subtlety with excess sugar.

Churn in an ice cream maker, following the machine's instructions, to make sorbet. The sorbet is best served fresh from the machine, but it can be stored in the freezer.