The base of this rosy sorbet is a mixture of raspberry purée and simple syrup (1 part sugar to 1 part water) infused with the essence of Rosa Rugosa, my favorite summertime flower. (For a glimpse of this lovely, see the second photo on the right.) If these roses aren’t native to your habitat, you can make the syrup with any fragrant (and pesticide-free) rose petals, or substitute plain simple syrup flavored with rosewater. For the syrup recipe, just follow the links below.

Yield: About 4 cups sorbet

Prep Talk: Be sure to read the instructions for your particular ice cream/sorbet maker before you start. I use a Cuisinart model with a bin that must be frozen until the cooling agent inside is completely solid, typically overnight. Don’t rush this step; if the bin isn’t completely solid, your sorbet will never freeze. Also thoroughly chill the sorbet base before attempting to churn it. If the base is too warm to start, it can thaw your freezer bin, again preventing the freezing of the sorbet.

Ingredients:

• Scant 2 cups Rugosa Rose (or other fragrant rose) Syrup
• 1 1/2 cups seedless red raspberry purée
• 3 tablespoons strained freshly squeezed lemon juice

Method:

1 | Prep the sorbet base. Follow the instructions for Rugosa Rose Syrup. Chill it until completely cool; then mix with the raspberry purée. About 3 (6-ounce) containers fresh berries will make about 1 2/3 cups purée. (I usually use a food mill, though you can also reduce the berries in a food processor and then work the purée through a sieve to remove the seeds.) To heighten the rose flavor, and balance the sweetness of the syrup, stir in the lemon juice. It’s a must!

2 | Freeze the sorbet base. Pour the base into the chamber of your ice cream/sorbet maker, and churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions. The sorbet will increase in volume as it churns so be sure to leave a little spare room at the top. With my Cuisinart, I typically churn no longer than 30 minutes, after which point the sorbet rarely gets any firmer because the freezer bin starts to warm up.

Immediately after churning, the sorbet can still be rather soft, so I typically wrap the bin tightly with plastic wrap and/or foil and place it in the freezer for another 2 to 3 hours before serving.

3 | Serve it forth. Scoop the sorbet and serve it straight up, as pictured above, or top it with a little extra rose syrup and fresh berries. Crystallized rose petals (lightly coated with beaten egg whites and superfine sugar; then air-dried) are also an elegant touch.