A light syrup, laced with the refreshing lemony-floral taste of verbena, and a scoop of cassis sorbet amplify the tug-of-war between sweet and tart in a bowl of mixed summer fruits.
·Do not use black currants or green gooseberries for this recipe, because they are too tart to eat raw.
·Fruit can be macerated, covered and chilled, up to 6 hours.
Recipe information
Total Time
1 hr
Yield
Makes 8 dessert servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Put fruit in a large bowl and gently toss with 1/2 cup sugar, then let stand 20 minutes.
Step 2
Rub verbena sprigs in your hands to bruise leaves and stems, then combine with water and remaining 3/4 cup sugar in a 2-quart heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Simmer 1 minute, then remove from heat and let steep, covered, 5 minutes.
Step 3
Stir lemon juice into warm syrup and pour through a medium-mesh sieve over fruit. Discard verbena sprigs and gently stir fruit. Let macerate at room temperature 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Step 4
Divide among 8 soup plates.
