Hibiscus Sorbet Recipe

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Hibiscus sorbet will make you fall in love with sorbet again. The deep rich red infusion, slightly tea-like, floral with a hint of citrus has elegance. And using a sorbet stabiliser makes the hibiscus sorbet recipe beautifully smooth.

You can serve the sorbet simply as it is. Or for a more formal dessert, plate with meringue shards, perfectly cut cubes of mango, and perhaps piped whipped cream – infused with fresh mint or even lemon verbena.

For the sorbet Serves: 6

15g dried hibiscus flowers
150g caster sugar
3g sorbet stabiliser (approx 2/3 of a teaspoon)
50g lime juice

For the meringue shards

60g egg whites (2 egg whites)
120g caster sugar
Mango, cut into 5-10mm cubes

For the sorbet

Heat hibiscus flowers with 250ml cold water in a small pan. Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and leave to infuse until cold. Strain and make up to 400ml with cold water. Discard the hibiscus flowers.
Mix together the sugar and the sorbet stabiliser. Pour the sugar/stabiliser mixture into the cold hibiscus water, stir and leave to hydrate for 15 minutes.
Bring the mixture to the boil, stirring constantly with a hand whisk. Remove from the heat, pour in the lime juice. Leave to cool.
Once cool transfer to an ice cream maker and churn for 45 minutes until frozen.
Alternatively, pour the mixture into a strong plastic container and put in the freezer. After 1 hour 30 minutes it should have frozen round the edges. Take it out and beat vigorously with a fork, electric whisk or in a food processor until you have a uniformly textured mixture. Return it to the freezer and repeat at least twice more every 1 hour 30 minutes, then freeze for at least another hour.

For the meringue

Whisk the egg whites until stiff. Slowly add the sugar and continue whisking until glossy.
Spread on a piece of baking parchment. Cook at 100 C for around 45 mins until crisp.