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!
Nectarine Sorbet in glasses of red wine — a play on a summery tradition in Southwest France
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