Honey and apple sorbet with calvados, from petal to plate

Exquisite, clouds of apple blossom, were such striking, spring apparel of softest colour. Once tickled by bees they were soon to become trees laden with apples, heaving to the point where last year we have had to prop the branches.

Then just as summers gentle flourish of boofy, blousey roses, bees and butterflies seemingly floating on a sea of fragrant lavender, whilst swaying grasses sparkled with droplets of new season effervescence. Cuts the twaddle …

Err no, no not exactly (fruits currently hanging on for dear life) a sever weather front, a 3 day blast of horizontal hail (heat on full blast). Swiftly bookended by crispy grass, arid, tropical heat and thunderstorms are alleged as imminent, again. A bagatelle of crunchy grass to soggy-boggy-dodah in a day.
The secret widgetry of weather apps .. fail.

Hence the anomaly of S/S2021 remains surreal not to mention the endless, gloomy threads of pandemic messes.

Undeterred the ‘modus operandi’ here remains the same as the season of jolly garden feasts loom large.
6 sad looking Bramley apples pinged a recollection. Triggering thoughts of a past, pastoral idyll, a vague memory of a lingering lunch in Normandy a Sorbet de Pommes Calvados.

Stoically, our afore mentioned, precious little bee chums gift the base for 🐝 honey syrup. We doff our caps and curtsy to homage the humble bumbles, the manufacturers and travelling sales men of honey. Equal parts of honey and water gently melted together form a simple, formidable syrup.

Firm, sharp apples, tart cookers or eating apples are the key. Peeled, cored and swiftly chunked before they turn brown. Neat, fresh lemon juice (and a sprinkling of sugar if the apples need it) keeps the colour and sharpness in tact. Acidulated water may suit some but I find it waters down the flavour so (hard core here) adding umpmph if they need cheering up.

A microwave-proof jug, pop a suitable plate on the top and 5 mins on high without stirring sorts the cooking process.

Once cooled roughly two thirds apple to honey syrup by volume and add a shot of calvados/hooch to suit or not indeed. Truth be told its a posh and boozy apple sauce in effect. The honey syrup and booze stop it setting like an apple brick.Stick blender at the ready, whizz whizz, taste taste. Yum, taste again to be sure.

“What are you doing, there’ll be none left?”

“Oh it said to do this in the recipe.” being your ‘get out of jail free’ card.

Recently keen on using silicone pans as ice cream tubs/moulds, as their flexibility brings further joy of ease when serving. Slide into a reusable poly bag for security purposes! Yes learned that one the hard way!