Pineapple Sorbet

A large-batch water ice built on a boiled syrup, thinned at the end with sparkling mineral water. The method is borrowed from the Pineapple Frappe earlier in the chapter: chill everything, then churn to a coarse, slushy freeze rather than a solid block.

• ApollinarisA branded German sparkling mineral water, once a fixture of well-stocked pantries. Any plain seltzer or club soda stands in; skip flavoured or heavily mineralised waters, which will fight the fruit.
• Add the fizz lastStir the sparkling water in after the syrup and juices are thoroughly cold and immediately before freezing. Most of the carbonation is lost in churning regardless, but adding it warm loses all of it and gives a flat, syrupy ice.
• The syrupBoil the water and sugar together only until the sugar dissolves clear, two or three minutes, then cool completely. Boiling it down concentrates the sugar and the sorbet will refuse to set firm.
• Canned pineappleCan sizes of the period were not standardised, so "1 can grated" is imprecise; a modern 20 oz tin is a reasonable stand-in, and crushed pineapple in juice is the closest current product. Use the juice as well, and count it toward the liquid.
• Fresh pineappleOne large fruit, shredded on a coarse grater or pulsed briefly, gives roughly two to three cups of pulp depending on size. Fresh fruit is generally more acidic and less sweet than fruit canned in syrup, so taste before freezing.
• VolumeAdded up, the finished mixture runs to something like three quarts, more than most domestic ice cream machines hold. Freeze it in two batches, or divide it and still-freeze in shallow pans, raking with a fork every 30 minutes.
• TextureA frappe freeze is deliberately granular and only just scoopable. Serve it directly from the machine or after no more than an hour in the freezer; held overnight it hardens and needs breaking up again.
• YieldA large batch: enough for well over a dozen small glasses rather than bowls. A water ice of this kind was usually served between courses or alongside a plain pudding.