INGREDIENTS
Lavender has a great affinity for blackberries, blueberries, pomegranate and honey. The honey not only rounds out the flavour but helps keep the sorbet texture smooth.
Make ahead: The berryjuice mixture needs to infuse for at least an hour and up to three hours. The sorbet needs to firm up in the freezer for at least an hour before serving, and it can be frozen in an airtight container for up to two weeks.
2 cups fresh or frozen/ defrosted blackberries, coarsely chopped 1 1/2 cups water 1 1/4 cups pure bottled pomegranate-blueberry juice, plus more as needed 6 tbs sugar 1/2 cup clover honey, plus more as needed 1 tbs chopped fresh culinary lavender spikes (bloom heads) or 1 tbs dried culinary lavender buds (see headnote for Candied Lavender Pecans) 1/3 cup fresh lime juice
Thoroughly stir together the blackberries, water, pomegranate-blueberry juice, sugar and honey in a medium non-reactive saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring. Adjust the heat so the mixture boils gently, and cook until the berries are soft, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the lavender and lime juice, then remove from the heat.
Taste, and thoroughly stir in a little more honey, as needed. Let stand at room temperature for one hour (fresh lavender will infuse much more quickly than dried buds). Taste; if the lavender flavour is pronounced enough, strain the mixture through a sieve into a four-cup measure. Press down with a spoon to extract as much liquid as possible. For more intense lavender flavour, refrigerate, tasting occasionally, for up to three hours before straining. Stir enough additional pomegranate-blueberry juice into the measure to yield a generous three three-fourth cups.
Refrigerate, covered, until well chilled. Pre-chill a storage container to hold the finished sorbet. Process the mixture in an ice cream maker following the manufacturer’s directions. Immediately put the sorbet in the chilled freezer container and freeze until firm, at least an hour, before serving. Freeze for up to two weeks.
Nutrition/half cup serving: 140 calories, 0g protein, 37g carbohydrates, 0g fat, 0g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 0mg sodium, 2g dietary fibre, 34g sugar