Ginger Pear Sorbet

Tonight I participated in an eight course tasting menu, and one of my responsibilities was to make the sorbet course as a palate cleanser between the fourth and fifth courses. I decided to go with ginger pear for my flavor. I served a scoop of sorbet in a hazelnut lacy tuile cup, garnished with some strips of candied ginger.

Ginger Pear Sorbet
50 ounces fresh, overripe pears, peeled, cored, and roughly chopped
one bulb fresh ginger, peeled and minced (about 2 Tablespoons)
4 1/2 cups white wine
3 cups granulated (white) sugar
2 Tablespoons lime juice

Place the pears and ginger in a wide, shallow saucepan and cover with wine, sugar, and juice. Cover and bring to a boil. Boil for about 20 minutes until slightly reduced. Purée through a high power blender until smooth, then pass through a china cap to strain. Pour liquid into a shallow metal pound and freeze until mixture is cold, a few hours. Pass mixture through an ice cream machine, then freeze again to firm up before scooping.

This is a super simple sorbet recipe and it's really, really delicious! It tastes of fresh pear with a hint of ginger and a refreshing taste of wine. I just used a basic salted cooking wine, but if you can, splurge on a better quality wine and add a pinch of kosher salt to the mix. Overripe, mushy pears are fine, and even ideal for this. This recipe need not exact, it is pretty forgiving. One batch makes around two quarts or sorbet.