The Lush Chef

Libations used: 3/4 cup white wine
Libations left over: pretty much the whole bottle, so serve the wine to your guests with the sorbet!
Now that it's spring, I want to eat sorbet all day, but that's not the adult thing to do.  Le sigh...
Ever since I had the Pear Riesling sorbet from Sweet Rose Creamery (my favorite ice cream store in the city), I've been wanting to try making it myself.  While doing some research, I found a lot of recipes that called for heavy cream, which I wasn't too keen on.  Lush Chef props to Taste of Home for this version that calls for so few ingredients and no cream!  Trust me, you don't need it - the texture of the pears lend themselves to a creamy texture when blended.  I highly recommend using ripe or over-ripe pears, as opposed to the canned stuff.  If you're desperate though, I won't slap you on the wrist.  I also used fresh lemon juice - let's all take advantage of this lovely region we live in.  To dress this up for a dinner party, I served the sorbet with a little mint leaf and butter cookies from Bottega Louie.

Pear Riesling Sorbet - serves 4-6

Ingredients:

• 5 ripe pears, peeled and sliced
• 3/4 cup Riesling - you can also use another sweet white wine like a Gewurztraminer or  pop open some Champagne
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 4 1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice - about 1 small lemon

- Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to a simmer and let it all sit for 8-10 minutes, uncovered, until pears are tender.  Take in that heavenly smell and pour yourself a glass of wine.
- Let the mixture cool slightly before putting in a blender or food processer and puree 1-2 minutes, until smooth.
- Transfer to a 9x13 loaf pan.  Cover and freeze for a minimum of 4 hours or until firm.  I did this the day before the Lush Chef dinner party.
- Just before serving, process again in blender/food processer for another 1-2 minutes to get that lovely smooth texture.
- Spoon into some cute, little dessert bowls and garnish with mint leaf and a butter cookie.