perfect hot summer night dinner party: vodka berry sorbet

Photograph by Japhet Alvarez

This weekend I had a group of dear friends in for dinner and served a fantastic, relaxed menu that took very little time to prepare but tasted and looked divine. Since nearly everything could be prepared in advance I had a chance to drink some champagne and enjoy the party.  The leftovers were pretty fabulous the following night too.

Here’s the menu ~

Wafer thin sliced hot Italian salami and a gorgeous creamy blue vein Italian cheese – Gran Bavarese (my current favourite cheese). Served with thinly sliced focaccia.

Maple-glazed barbecued salmon

Tuscan bean and artichoke salad (From A Taste of Wintergreen)

Organic greens with pomegranate and sunflower seeds in a balsamic vinaigrette

Roasted Red Potato Salad with avocados and baby tomatoes (From A Taste of Wintergreen)

Olive and Rosemary Sourdough from our beautiful local bakery – Pan Chancho

Vodka Berry Sorbet with raspberries and pouring cream (From A Taste of Wintergreen). *Recipe below!*

Dark chocolate cereal squares – a no-bake recipe – perfect for summer entertaining

Vodka Berry Sorbet

• Servings: ~6
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

You don’t need to heat up your kitchen to make this glamorous summer dessert. The recipe calls for 4 cups of frozen mixed berries and I often make it with frozen berries but this time I substituted 454 grams (or 1 lb) of fresh, organic strawberries and 1 cup of frozen, wild blueberries. It turned out perfectly.

• 4 cups of frozen mixed berries (raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries)
• 1 over-ripe banana
• 3-4 ounces of vodka
• 2 -3  tbsp sugar (icing sugar, white sugar, brown sugar, honey) IF REQUIRED
• fresh raspberries and mint leaves to garnish, and un-whipped, heavy cream on the side to pour over as desired

What you’ll need: a food processor, an electric mixer, small wineglasses or equivalent for serving

Combine berries, banana, and vodka in the food processor. Whizz until smooth-ish. Taste it to check for sweetness and add sugar if necessary. Freeze for several hours. Remove from freezer after a  couple of hours of freezing and whip with electric beater (I often forget or neglect this step but doing it will result in a slightly creamier texture). Fifteen minutes before serving, remove sorbet from freezer to let thaw slightly. Serve in small wine glasses (finally a use for all those old, too-small wineglasses), garnished with fresh berries and mint leaves if you have them. Put out a small jug with some thick pouring cream for those who can stand the lactose and want the extra calories!

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