Sweet Plum Sorbet

[I] always wanted a ponytail.  A ponytail I could position extra high on my head with hair long enough to cascade down to my shoulders, cheerleader-style, youthful, bouncy.  The kind of hair, that you can flip around to express various emotions, from bitchy to bored to flirty.  

I don’t have ponytail hair.  Never did.  

What I’ve always had is a fine, curly, frizzy, perfectly acceptable, head of hair that I’m completely grateful for.  It’s just not ponytail hair.  It’s not hair I can whip around to express my enthusiasm for life.  

That’s how hair works, right?  

Summer fruit, all of the gorgeous peaches, apricots, strawberries, and plums… they’re like a gorgeous, shiny, lustrous, perfectly bouncy, high ponytail.  Showing off, effortless… a little enviable even.  

Luckily, no matter what hair grows from our head, high ponytail or not… it’s our time.  It’s Summer and the markets are bursting with sweet fruit flavors.  Let’s get at em!

Plums are perfect just as they are.  Deep purple skin.  Tart with just a hint of snap when you bite through.   Sweet insides.  Sour as you reach the pit.  They’re exactly right.    

These plums are golden on the inside, but the deep purple skin is dark enough to tint the finished sorbet a lovely shade of fuchsia.  

Pitted and sliced plums are boiled in a mixture of sugar and water.

Boiled to softened.  Boiled to almost jam.   

The plums will fall apart.  The skins will separate from the fruit flesh and tint the sugar water a lovely purple.  

A blender gets us one step closer to sorbet.  

The cooked fruit and sugar mixture is blended completely.  Skins and all.  No need to strain.  Everything is everything.  

The mixture will be hot (it was boiling fruit) when it goes into the blender.  You may need to blend in two batches.  Don’t be cavalier.   

The blended plum will need some quality chilling time in the refrigerator.  Literal chilling… not just relaxing.  

It helps if the mixture is completely cold before it’s churned into a bright pink sorbet.  

Smooth and glossy, soft and sweet.  This sorbet is perfectly scoop able, bright, and sweet.  The high proportion of sugar makes this sorbet creamy smooth and not icy.  I also love the little bits of skin.

Top with chopped salted pistachios and even a bit of chopped dark chocolate to balance the plum sorbet sweetness.

It’s Summer!  Ponytail or no… what a good life it is!  

Sweet Plum Sorbet

• Author: Joy the Baker
• Prep Time: 720
• Cook Time: 30
• Total Time: 12 hours 30 minutes

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Ingredients

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• 2 cups water
• 2 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• just over 1 pound of ripe plums (I used 9 medium purple plums), sliced into chunks, pits discarded
• pinch of salt
• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 tablespoon vodka (optional)
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped, shelled salted pistachios

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Instructions

1. In a large saucepan over medium heat, stir together water and sugar until the sugar is dissolved.
2. Add the sliced plum, a pinch of salt and stir. Allow to simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, until the plums begin to soften and breakdown. You might even find that the skins separate from the flesh of the fruit. The sugar water will be tinted purple. That’s exactly right.
3. Once the fruit is softened, remove from heat and transfer to a blender. You may need to do this in two batches but I managed it in one. Add the fruit and liquid to the blender, make sure the lid is secure, place a clean towel over the lid and blend until smooth.
4. The mixture will still be hot. Place in the refrigerator (in the blender… why not?) until chilled through. Leaving it overnight to chill is best.
5. When ready to churn, remove from the refrigerator and stir in the lime juice and vodka (if using). Follow your ice cream machine instructions to churn to a thick, soft, sorbet. Transfer to a freezer-safe container and allow to rest in the freezer for at least 4 hours before scooping and serving.
6. Top with shelled, salted pistachios just before serving. Enjoy!

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Nutrition

• Serving Size: 6