Tamarind and lime sorbet

Steve and I love the flavour of tamarind.  It is such a versatile ingredient - sweet and sour and suitable for both sweet and savoury dishes.  It is these qualities that drew me towards making a tamarind sorbet.  Although it has a distinctive enough flavour to mask the taste of the previous course, it doesn't linger so as to affect the next course.  When serving it as a palate cleanser I put a small amount (maybe 1.5 tablespoons) in a shot glass.  However you can also use this as a dessert, at which point a good few scoops are required!

Serves 3-4 as a dessert or up to 15 as a pre-dessert

Ingredients

• 200 grams sugar
• 275 millilitres hot water
• 100 grams dried tamarind - separated to increase the surface area
• 10 tablespoons lime juice
• a few sprigs of fresh mint (optional)

Method

1. Place the sugar and water in a pan.  Heat slowly to dissolve the sugar and bring to the boil.
2. Switch off the heat and add the dried tamarind and lime juice.  Stir well.  Leave to steep for 10 - 15 minutes.
3. Using a nylon sieve, strain the mixture into a bowl.  Use the back of a wooden spoon to push the pulp through the sieve.  Extract as much of the tamarind as possible, periodically removing the pulp from the back of the sieve into the mixing bowl.
4. Once this is done, take a clean sieve and strain the mixture again into a plastic tub.  Place a lid on the tub and freeze for 7-8 hours.  Remove the tub every 30 minute during this period and use a fork to stir up the sorbet.  This will prevent it from turning into solid ice and give it a soft crumbly texture.
5. Garnish with fresh mint.

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