Nectarine Sorbet

David Lebovitz writes in his headnote to this recipe in The Perfect Scoop that in Gascony, in Southwest France, there’s a custom of tipping the end of your glass of red wine into your soup bowl. He doesn’t mention that it’s called “faire chabrot.” I know this because my husband’s family is from Southwest France (from the Bordeaux region). I haven’t seen my French family faire chabrot, to my recollection, but they do have a delightful custom, in the summer, of slicing a ripe peach into their lingering glass of red wine, and calling that dessert.

In fact, a few years ago, I tried to develop a peach ice cream recipe that would replicate those flavors. My idea was to make a classic, custard-based peach ice cream, then at the last minute of churning, swirl a red-wine syrup into it. Great idea, right? Somehow, I could never get it to taste exactly the way I wanted and capture that lovely peaches-in-the-wine-glass moment. The project went on hold.

And so when I saw this recipe for nectarine sorbet in The Perfect Scoop, and read the rest of the headnote in which Lebovitz suggests scooping the sorbet into wine glasses and letting everyone pour in red wine to taste, I thought, aha! That might be just the thing.

And so it is!

This sorbet is super-simple to make, and no peeling of fruit required. And, oh — it’s also fabulous on its own — no red wine required. Lebovitz’s recipe says you can substitute ripe peaches for the nectarines, though you do have to peel them. I haven’t tried that, though I’m sure it’ll work just as well.

Makes about 1 to 1 1/2 quarts (1 to 1 1/2 liters), depending on your ice cream maker.

Ingredients

6 ripe nectarines (about 2 pounds, 1 kg)

2/3 cup (160 ml) water

3/4 cup (150 g) sugar

1 teaspoon kirsch, or 1/4 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

Instructions

1. Slice the nectarines in half and remove the pits. Cut the unpeeled nectarines into small chunks into a medium-small, non-reactive saucepan. Add the water, cover the pan and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the nectarine chunks are soft and cooked through, about 10 minutes. Add a bit more water if necessary during cooking.

2. Remove from the heat and stir in the sugar. Let cool to room temperature. When cool, purée the mixture in a blender or food processor (or with a stick blender) until smooth. Stir in the kirsch or lemon juice.

3. Chill the mixture thoroughly, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.