Summer breeze makes me feel fine – blowin’ through the jasmine in my mind . The inspiration and at Ta Dah moment  for this combination, a bag of apricots from our local farm shoppe, a little clemencello (lemoncello made with clementines from last Christmas, yes last Christmas!) And some orange flower water and pomegranate.

This summers brief but blistering sun burnt my sweet summer jasmine to a grotty brown crisp,  it grows over a weathered trellis as a life-time companion to a blousey, white rambling rose, its my chosen view,  planted and nurtured by the kitchen window.  The flora surrounds an outside temperature gauge which always gets a cursory glance whilst the kettle is boiling. The waft on the breeze, when I open the window, is soft and delicate and whilst the rose  flowers endlessly, the jasmine is short-lived and this year none at all.

The blushing cheeks of apricots convert into a summer sorbet and offer a multi layered flavour vaguely reminiscent of the jasmine.  It refreshes and slakes a thirst and quenches the palette, a real tangy treat.

Quick Apricot Ice Cream

An unctuous ice cream can be made from apricot conserve. Fold into ‘tip top quality’ store bought vanilla cream custard. Process, show off, brag, eat, yum, and yes it is as easy as that.

An apricot ice cream base in an instant. Ice cream machine not essential, it just softer and fluffier set!

I’m quietly confident that very few of you will have the dregs of last years festive Clemencello but Cointreau, Triple sec, Curacao, Grand Marnier et al have all fallen victim to my sorbets.  They add a tingle as they mingle but are not at all essential.  Or as shown the blush from a little pomegranate juice works too.  OK, I’ll ‘fess up I used both.  The Clemencello was very yellow (dyed by the remaining zest) and the sorbet looked a tad jaundiced, I preferred a sanguine effect and thank Ms Pomegranate for saving my blushes with hers!

Ingredients for the Apricot Sorbet:

500g of  washed de-stoned, roughly chopped, ripe apricots

50g of sugar

1 cups water

1 cold can of old-fashioned cloudy lemonade

1 dessert spoon of orange flower water.

a slug of orange liqueur or pomegranate juice if ‘hooch’ is not your thing,

To do:

Place the apricots, sugar, half the booze and water in a pan over a low heat and leave to soften. Stir gently from time to time.  Taste.  If too tart add some more sugar, a low heat should help to soften the fruits and yield the natural juices.  Remove, leave to cool, then add the orange flower water a teaspoonful at a time, stir though but continue to taste.  Too much Orange Flower Water can be soapy so ‘ quality control’ is essential.  Add the remainder of the ‘slug’ of orange liqueur (or another if you inadvertently drank the rest of the lurid yellow one) gently stir through, taste again! Adjust if necessary. When all is well refrigerate the ‘goup’ for half and hour before processing.

Start to process the pulp in your ice cream machine and be vigilant, as it starts to freeze, slowly and carefully include the fizzy lemonade to the apricot mix.

 

Serve in pretty coup glasses and pretend you’re at a  Downton Garden party.

Utterly, utterly Divine Dharlings.

Serve or store in the freezer as you deem appropriate.

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