Blackberry and Anise Hyssop Sorbet

Ingredients:

For the Blackberry Purée:
400g blackberries
70g sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice

For the Anise Hyssop Syrup:
30g anise hyssopanise hyssop leaves and florets (individual flowers, stripped from their stems)
150g sugar
1 tbsp honey
360ml water

For the Sorbet:
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/8 tsp salt

Method:

Begin with the blackberry purée. Wash and pick over the blackberries then turn into a bowl and toss with the sugar and lemon juice. Turn into a non-reactive (steel or enamelled) pan and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook for about 10 minutes or until soft then take off the heat and allow to cool slightly before turning into a blender or food processor. Process at low speed to just purée (be careful not to break up the seeds).

Strain through a fine-meshed sieve then set aside to cool in an ice bath.

For the anise hyssop syrup, combine the sugar, honey and water in a pan. Bring to a boil then take off the heat and immediately pour into a heat-proof bowl containing the anise hyssop. Set aside to steep for 60 minutes then strain through a fine-meshed sieve into a clean bowl. Set this aside in an ice bath to cool.

When the blackberry purée and anise hyssop syrup have cooled combine them in a bowl wit the 1 tbsp lemon juice and salt. Pour this into an ice cream mixture and churn according to the manufacturer's instructions until cooled and set.

This is excellent served garnished with fresh blackberries, toasted slivered almonds and whipped cream.