Yields about 1 liter.
- Prep time: 20min
- Cook time: 10min
- Total time: 30min
- Difficulty: Basic
This recipe is a spin on David Lebovitz’s nectarine sorbet from The Perfect Scoop. You can omit the thyme entirely, but I recommend including a couple of springs. It adds a nice depth of flavor to the sorbet. The candied pecans are merely a serving suggestion; you can omit them entirely. The recipe makes a lot of pecans, but they store well and make a great snack. You can use any other nut in place of the pecans.
Peach & Thyme Sorbet.
Ingredients:
- 7 medium-sized ripe peaches, peeled and pitted
- 160ml water
- 4 thyme springs
- 150g sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
Directions:
Peaches should be diced into medium-sized pieces. Cover and place in a medium saucepan with water. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally and checking after ten minutes, until they are soft. Remove the saucepan from the heat and add the thyme springs and sugar. Allow the thyme to steep for 5-10 minutes, depending on your preference. It’s best to taste and adjust the timing to your personal preferences. Remove the thyme springs (don’t worry if any leaves remain floating around; they’ll be puréed anyway). Allow to cool to room temperature before serving. Blend the contents in a blender until smooth. Stir in the lemon juice and chill completely in the refrigerator before churning in an ice cream maker.
If you don’t have an ice cream maker, place the chilled puree in a freezer-safe plastic or metal bowl, cover with a lid or cling film, and place in the freezer. Check the sorbet every 30 minutes for the next 3 hours and vigorously stir to break up any ice crystals. A sturdy whisk or spatula is recommended. After that, place it in the freezer until completely frozen before serving.
Candied Pecans.
Ingredients:
- 1 egg white
- 1 tablespoon water
- 240g pecans
- 60g white sugar
- 60g brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 150 degrees Celsius. Using parchment paper, line a baking sheet.
Whip the egg white and water together until frothy. Mix in the pecans until they are all evenly coated. Combine the sugars, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a separate bowl. Pour the mixture over the pecans and thoroughly mix until the pecans are evenly coated. Spread evenly on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. 30 minutes in the oven. Once halfway through, give it a good stir. Allow to cool completely before breaking apart any pieces that have become stuck together. Keep it in an airtight container.
Commentary.
Also known as Sorbet Od Bresaka I Timijana & Ušećereni Pekan Orasi.
At the back of my mind, I can almost hear the Colonel’s voice. “This is becoming rather silly,” he says, his voice irritated. And it really is. I’m completely addicted to frozen desserts. I can’t remember the last time I made something you could bite into and chew on. Candied pecans apparently do not qualify as a dessert, which is unfortunate. I’m an ice cream addict. That’s all there is to it.
We’ve had a few days of cool and unpredictability here. Given the circumstances and weather, any avid baker would feel compelled to roll up their sleeves, fire up the oven, and create wonderful crisp pastry topped with sweet juicy summer fruit, or even a warm and comforting dessert like chocolate fondant or blueberry cobbler. No, not me. I made a new batch of ice cream. Chocolate. It was the third batch of chocolate ice cream I’d made in the previous two weeks.
As if that wasn’t enough, I also made this peach and thyme sorbet. In my defense, there were a bunch of peaches neatly arranged in a pretty Ikea bowl on our dining room table calling my name and begging me to save them from their unflattering fate. What else could a girl do but make sorbet out of them?
And you know what? I don’t regret it for one second!
It was not only completed quickly, but it was also extremely good. In fact, it was everything you could want in a sorbet: fruity and sweet, but also incredibly refreshing and flavorful. A dash of thyme really makes a difference and adds a lovely depth of flavor to the sorbet. I strongly advise you to do so as soon as possible. You’ll be grateful later.