Apricot Sorbet

A frozen apricot cream in the older style: fruit purée frozen only to a slush, then lightened with whipped cream and left to ripen. The name says sorbet, but the cream makes it closer to what we would call a sherbet or semifreddo.

• The canPeriod fruit cans varied in size, commonly somewhere between about a pound and a pound and three-quarters; a modern 15 to 16 oz can of apricot halves in syrup is a reasonable substitute. Note that both parts are used: the drained syrup is the liquid base, and the fruit is sieved into it.
• Which wineUnspecified. A sweet or fortified wine such as sherry or Madeira would suit, though nothing in the text says so. Half a cup in this quantity is enough alcohol to slow freezing, so expect a softer set than a plain fruit ice.
• "The whip obtained from cream"This means the stiff froth skimmed off cream that has been whipped, usually over ice, and drained of the thin liquid that separates. With modern heavy cream, simply whip 1 pint to soft peaks and fold that in; there is no need to skim anything off.
• Freeze to a mushThe base should be frozen only to a thick slush, not solid, or the whipped cream cannot be folded through it. In an ice cream machine that is 10 to 15 minutes; in a shallow metal pan in the freezer, about an hour with a stir every 20 minutes.
• The standing timeThe hour and a half is a ripening period; the recipe does not say how it was to be held, though ice and salt would have been the usual means. A freezer at 0F firms the mixture faster and harder — check at 45 minutes and let it soften 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
• Sieving the pulpCanned apricots go through a fine sieve easily with the back of a ladle; a blender followed by a strainer is quicker and gives a smoother texture, which matters because fibrous shreds are very noticeable once frozen.
• YieldRoughly 1 1/2 to 2 quarts, or six to eight servings in glasses as the original directs.