Dandelion and Apple Sorbet Recipe

So you’ve collected your dandelions – now what are you going to do with them?

How about a delicious, sorbet. Dandelion and apple sorbet has a really complex, grown-up flavour. It’s not at all soapy like some floral flavours – it’s not too sweet and tastes like honey.

I have plans to make an especially grown up version of this sorbet, laced with a little gin. But for now, here’s my non alcoholic recipe 😁

For every flower head, you’ll need 10ml of water. 30 flower heads makes enough sorbet for two small portions.

You will need

30 dandelion heads picked when fully open

300ml water

Half an apple, any will do but I prefer Braeburn

1 – 2 tablespoons caster sugar to taste

1 tablespoon of lemon juice

1 teaspoon of honey (optional)

Wild flowers to decorate – we used forget-me-nots and flowering currant.

Method

Sort through your flowers removing all of the stems.
Let them sit on your worktop.for a while so that any bugs can escape.
Put the dandelions in a pan with 300ml of water.
Chop up the apple. There’s no need to peel it but remove the core and add it to the pan.
Bring to the book and then quickly reduce down to a medium heat.
Add a tablespoon of lemon juice and allow to simmer for 30 minutes.
Leave the mixture to infuse for at least three hours, overnight is better, and then strain through a fine mesh sieve.
Return the liquid to the pan and add a teaspoon of honey (if using) and a table spoon of sugar.
Heat gently stirring all the time so that the sugar dissolves.
Taste to check.for.sweetness and add a little more sugar if needed.
Allow the mixture to cool completely before adding to an ice cream maker. If you don’t have one then place in the freezer in an airtight container. Remove from the freezer every hour and blend. Continue to do this until you have the correct consistency.
Scatter with flowers and serve.