Thanks to Sylvia Tan, I made a heavenly mango sorbet the other day. What makes it unusual is a syrup perfumed with kaffir lime leaves.
I came across this idea in Sylvia’s book, “Madder Still About Food” (Times Books International 2002). This is the second of three she has written about her kitchen experiments. The first was “Mad About Food” (Times Books International 1997), named for her column in The Sunday Times, which is the Sunday edition of the Straits Times in Singapore.
I have an autographed copy of that book, the result of meeting Sylvia when she came to Los Angeles with her husband, actor Lim Kay Tong. The others I picked up in Singapore.
My version of the sorbet is much simpler than Sylvia’s, and the flavor may differ slightly because I use the Mexican mangoes that are available in Los Angeles rather than Asian fruit.
Sylvia placed a scoop of the sorbet on a bed of diced papaya, fresh lychees and mango marinated with a little of the syrup, topped this with passion fruit pulp and crushed peanut brittle, then finished off with an almond tuile.
“The idea,” she wrote, “is to team the ice with various textures and flavors to get a combination of sweet and tart, richness and crunch.” This is a lovely concept, but not having fresh lychees and passion fruit readily available, I am happy with the delicious sorbet, all by itself.
SYLVIA'S MANGO LIME SORBET
1½ cups water
¾ cup sugar
6 kaffir lime leaves, available in Asian markets
4 large very ripe Mexican mangoes
2 tablespoons lime juice, preferably from Mexican limes
Combine the water, sugar and lime leaves in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Remove from the heat, let cool, then refrigerate in a covered container overnight.
The next day, cut the mangoes in halves and remove the pulp, working with a serrated spoon or sharp knife. There should be at least 3 cups pulp. Place the mango pulp in a blender container.
Remove the kaffir lime leaves from the syrup. Add the syrup and the lime juice to the blender and blend to a smooth puree. Chill the puree several hours or overnight.
Turn the mango mixture into an ice cream machine and process according to the manufacturer’s instructions. or turn into one or two shallow pans and place in the freezer. When ice crystals start to form, beat until smooth, then return to the freezer. Beat in this fashion two or three more times as the mixture begins to firm, then freeze completely.
Let soften before serving, or place in the microwave for a few seconds.
Makes slightly more than 1 quart.
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