Lambic Sorbet
Belgian lambics rely on spontaneous fermentation from naturally occurring wild yeasts, giving this beer style its acidity and distinctive tartness. It doesn’t sound too different from the process that makes sourdough sour, does it? The particular style used in this sorbet recipe is fruit lambic — fresh whole fruits are added once the fermentation starts.
There’s a wide variety of fruit lambics available to use in this recipe:
- framboise (raspberry)
- kriek (cherry)
- pêche (peach)
- cassis (black currant)
- pomme (apple)
My favorite is easily the raspberry lambic. It also seems to be the most widely available.
There’s only one thing wrong with this sorbet recipe. Fresh raspberries and framboise lambic are perfectly fine on their own. I’m a firm believer in leaving well enough alone so I had a bit of trouble trying this recipe for the first time.
I couldn’t even keep the ingredients on hand long enough due to an uncontrollable habit of mindlessly popping raspberries in my mouth every few seconds. Before I realize it, there’s nothing left in the container but red streaks. A snifter or two of framboise lambic is also never a bad idea after dinner. It’s the ideal dessert beer.
The raspberries had to go directly from the bag into the blender just to make sure. Ah, the problems I face.
Now that I’ve tried it, I can wholeheartedly say that it is absolutely worth it.
Waiter, there’s something in my… berries hosted by Cook Sister!
recipe adapted from Food & Wine Magazine
Raspberry Lambic Sorbet
makes 1 1/4 quarts
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup water
3 cups (about 18 ounces) raspberries
1 cup framboise lambic
Notes:
- I’ve never stocked light corn syrup in my pantry so I used honey as a substitute.
- I used Lindemans framboise lambic. The raspberry aroma upon popping the cork is intense. Yeah, this beer is corked, which means that the Alström Brothers will punch you in the face if you drink it straight from the bottle. Or put it in a dainty sorbet. Respect beer.
- There’s a lot of room for experimentation as far as fruit and lambic flavor combinations. The original recipe uses sour cherries and kriek lambic but the fresh and fermented version don’t have to come from the same fruit. Any ideas?
Heat the sugar, honey, and water in a small saucepan just until the sugar is completely dissolved. Cool the syrup completely.
Puree the raspberries (or your choice of fruit) in the blender until smooth. Mix in the syrup and the lambic.
Pour the sorbet base slowly into your actively churning ice cream maker. After about 30 minutes, it should look a little something like this:
Can you wait another four hours?
Pack the sorbet into the chilled container of your choice and freeze until firm, about four hours.
Please take it away from me before I inhale it.
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July 4th, 2008 at 1:46 am
Ooo awesome. Bobby (the boyfriend) loves lambic
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July 4th, 2008 at 11:06 am
This sounds incredible. I’m getting more and more into making sorbets with alcohol. Lambic is something I haven’t had much of, I think I’ll change that soon.
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July 4th, 2008 at 12:04 pm
hi jude, your ideas about food sound so similar to mine - raspberries and lambic are perfectly fine on their own for me too. combining certain things is certainly very difficult for my eaters, so i leave well enough alone.
eating meat from head to tail is a way to avoid waste - i feel better about eating meat when i know i’m not wasting anything
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July 4th, 2008 at 9:35 pm
I’ve never had lambic
It’s a liqueur? I’d love to try this if I can kind my hands on some lambic or a suitable substitute. Any ideas?
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July 5th, 2008 at 12:25 am
magpie - lambic is addictive stuff, isn’t it?
rainbowbrown - alcohol gives sorbets a finer texture because it doesn’t freeze like water, but I’m sure you already knew that
maria - yeah it was hard to justify at first, but like I said, totally worth it
dee - it’s a tangy beer and a bit bubbly, similar to champagne. I can’t think of any suitable substitutes since lambics are so different. A sweet fruity wine maybe?
July 5th, 2008 at 9:37 am
I was a little bit amazed (in a very pleasing way) to see this recipe. The ‘fruit’ lambics are in fact much sweeter than the original lambic, which would give you a rather tart and sour but still very pleasant taste. Some of the ‘fruit’ lambics also contain added sugar, Lindemans, one of the best, as far as I know, does not. The traditional chosen fruit would be cherries, to make ‘kriek’ (which means cherry in Dutch), extremely popular in Brussels. The original lambic, (or the blended faro, or the bottled and blended kind, gueuze) can be used in several recipes, where white wine or dry sherry would be used. The Lindemans website offers some history and some recipes
July 5th, 2008 at 9:50 pm
Oh, this is very nice. thanks for the recipe.
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July 6th, 2008 at 11:29 pm
peter - That’s exactly what it tastes like - tart and slightly sweet in a pleasing way. I think Lindemans only uses fresh fruit to sweeten, not like other brands. I haven’t tried faro or gueuze but will definitely pick up a bottle if I find it.
maybelle’s mom - hope you like it.
July 8th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
Ah, yes Jude “Ah, the problems I face.” Fresh strawberries to eat or put in a sorbet how that makes me smile! And a lambic after dinner only sweeter in a sorbet ;))
July 10th, 2008 at 12:08 pm
heh, i just made a granita out of this very same lambic.
gueuze is good stuff if you can find it.
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July 11th, 2008 at 4:19 am
Yum, I love the use of the Lambic…great idea.
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July 12th, 2008 at 2:09 pm
Wowee wow! I love lambics and drink them quite often (my favourite is the cherry) but have never thought to turn them into a sorbet! Inspired. Thanks so much for taking part in WTSIM this month
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July 14th, 2008 at 4:58 pm
love it!
I made it the other day and everyone loved it.
such a nice texture.
i’m attempting it again, though they were out of the raspberry lambic, so i’m trying 2/3 apple and 1/3 blackcurrant, with fresh raspberries.
hopefully, a good combination.
thanks for the recipe!
July 14th, 2008 at 9:31 pm
You made me laugh when you talked about having trouble keeping the ingredients on hand. Just last month, I gave a dinner party where the dessert required fresh raspberries. All day, I kept seeing those plump berries on the counter and I would sneak one or two. Even during the dinner, I would sneak them. My guests found it very funny. But, come the end of the dinner, I had just enough for the dessert.
Your sorbet looks lovely and it is such a pretty colour.
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July 15th, 2008 at 5:31 pm
Oh…..you have *no* idea how I love Lindemans lambic, not so much the kriek (sometimes bottled cherries can taste “prunish” - I site Peter Herring), but the pêche and framboise - worth every ridiculous cent you pay for it. Not easy to find. Bring on all the natural yeast in the air, I say.
Fabulous, first-rate recipe!
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July 16th, 2008 at 9:34 am
[...] Lambic Sorbet [...]
July 17th, 2008 at 10:21 am
@peter & Jude - I believe that Lindemans’ lambics are all sweetened. The one exception that is not sweetened is their Cuvée René Gueuze. A few lambic makers do make the traditional unsweetened gueuzes and lambics. I can’t find the reference right now, but I believe the term “oude gueuze” is protected in Belgium and can only be applied to those gueuzes that are made in the traditional manner and are unsweetened. Some of the lambic brewers/blenders have appropriated the ‘oude’ designation for some of their fruit lambics if they have no sugar added. Thus traditional krieks, such as those made by Cantillon, Drie Fonteinen, Boon, Hanssens, and Oud Beersel (this list is off the top of my head, there may be more…), are much more tart than a sweetened kriek. They are made by adding fresh cherries to an aged barrel of lambic, but not adding additional sugars/syrup.
If you are interested in tasting the difference I would recommend seeking out either Boon or Oud Beersel, because both of these makers offer both a traditional oude kriek and a sweetened version which you could compare side-by-side. Both the ‘oude’ and sweetened versions of both of these beers are available here in Orlando @ Knightly Spirits in MetroWest, but your mileage may vary depending on your location.
Oh, here is the link! http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/pvosta/pcrbier1.htm
Either way, enjoy! Looking forward to trying this sorbet.
July 20th, 2008 at 12:25 am
tanna - Can’t go wrong either way for sure.
michelle - Can’t find gueuze yet. Nothing but fruit lambics over here.
peabody - So easy to make, too.
jeanne - Like the kriek lambic as well. I’ll try it with sour cherries.
nancy - Glad it was a hit. That’s an interesting mix of flavors. Will try it when I get a chance.
dragon - Sometimes you’re not even aware of what you’re doing but everyone else seems to notice it. Oh well.
susan - Lindemans is so addictive. I’ve yet to try the cassis, though.
chris - I think what Peter meant is that Lindemans lambics don’t use processed sweeteners such as sugar and syrups — only fresh fruit. Will keep an eye out for the breweries you mentioned. I’m sure I’ve seen them before in the local stores. Thanks for the informative post!
August 1st, 2008 at 12:20 pm
I made this with great success! My dinner guests were so pleased!
I used frozen (fresh from the farmer’s market a week before) raspberries. I processed them and let them sit, to thaw, while the syrup cooled.
August 2nd, 2008 at 12:59 am
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August 4th, 2008 at 4:24 pm
framboise is my favorite drink!! great idea!
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