Summer Break

Maybe it’s because of the “what I did on my summer vacation” essays, but summer always feels like a project.  You’re given 2-3 months to put together a set piece for future memories and expectations are high.  Even as an adult, fall blends into winter which blends into spring, but summer stands apart.  It’s hard not to spend Labor day weekend thinking about what I did or didn’t get to do.  It also marks my 100th post since I started writing this blog, though some days, I’ve felt like it’s been writing me.  Still, I love where it’s taken me, and I’m still hungry for more.  I wanted to end the season with fresh cava sorbet, a mix of Spanish sparkling wine, strawberries and oranges.  It seemed like the right palate cleanser to catch my breath, send off summer and start making plans for fall.

Cava, Strawberry and Orange Sorbet
I found several online recipes combining cava and pre-made lemon sorbet.  A popular Spanish combination for parties and celebration.  Other champagne or cava sorbet recipes called for adding egg whites to the cava, but the reviews were mixed.  I chose this one from Bon Appétit (May 1992) because it was very straightforward.  The only change I made was using unsweetened strawberries instead, so the flavor erred on the side of cava.  Click here for the original recipe.

1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1 10-ounce package frozen, unsweetened strawberries, thawed
1 cup orange juice
1 cup brut cava (Spanish sparkling wine)
Fresh strawberries

Stir sugar and water in small saucepan over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves. Bring to boil. Transfer to large bowl or pitcher and let cool.  Puree strawberries in processor and add to syrup. Mix in orange juice and cava. Refrigerate strawberry mixture until well chilled, at least two hours.

Process strawberry mixture in ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer sorbet to covered container and freeze until ready to serve.  Top with fresh strawberries.