I was toiling away years ago in a restaurant kitchen when one day a celebrity chef stopped by who had a reputation for being rather, um, obnoxious. I was minding my own business, caught in a Zen-like state while peeling a case of apples and, naturally, generating a huge pile of peels, which I tossed into the garbage as I went. He walked by, looked in the garbage, and reprimanded me: “Don’t you know you’re throwing away the best part?” My infamous sarcasm got the best of me, so I offered to wrap them up for him to take home. From the look on his face, I’m sure it was that moment that effectively killed my professional television cooking career. All kidding (and sarcasm) aside, the peelings do indeed have a lot of flavor, so I include the peels when infusing the apples in this sorbet. Hopefully, this recipe will make amends to the offended party and soon you’ll see me peeling away on prime time.
California-produced nonalcoholic sparkling apple cider is available at most supermarkets in the fruit juice aisle. If using French sparkling cider, brut (dry) cider is preferable to doux (sweet).
Recipe information
Yield
makes about 3 cups (750 ml)
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Quarter the apples and remove the cores and seeds. Cut the unpeeled apples into 1-inch (3-cm) chunks.
Step 2
Combine the cider, sugar, and water and bring to a boil in a medium, nonreactive saucepan. Add the apples, reduce the heat to low, and cover. Simmer the apple chunks for 5 minutes, then turn off the heat and let the apples steep until the mixture is room temperature.
Step 3
Pass the apples and their liquid through a food mill fitted with a fine disk, or use a coarse-mesh strainer and press firmly on the apples to extract their pulp and all the liquid into a container. Discard the apple peels—they’ve given up their flavor at this point. Add the lemon juice. Taste and add more if you wish, since sparkling apple ciders can vary in sweetness.
Step 4
Chill the mixture thoroughly, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Perfect Pairing
Step 5
Pour a good dose of Calvados, the powerful apple brandy from Normandy, over scoops of Green Apple and Sparkling Cider Sorbet, and serve it after dinner. Poire Williams, a pear eau-de-vie, also works well.
