# Bill Smiths Amazing Honeysuckle Sorbet



## cheftalk.com (Mar 11, 2007)

4 cups (1 quart) freshly picked honeysuckle blossoms (measure tightly packed but avoid bruising the flowers)
6 2/3 cup cool water
2 cups sugar
½ teaspoon fresh lemon juice
A tiny pinch of ground cinnamon (Bill takes it up on the tip of a boning knife)
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1.Pick over the honeysuckle blossoms carefully, removing all leaves and bits of stem. Place the flowers in a large, nonreactive bowl and pour in 5 1/3 cups of the water. Place a heavy plate on top to keep the flowers submerged and let stand on the counter overnight.

2.Nest day, place the remaining 1 1/3 cups water in a small heavy saucepan and mix in the sugar. Bring to a boil over moderated heat, then boil uncovered for 3 to 5 minutes or until about the consistency of light corn syrup. Remove from the heat, add the lemon juice (to keep the syrup from crystallizing), and cool to room temperature.

3.Meanwhile, strain the honeysuckle infusion, pressing the blossoms gently to extract every drop of nectar. Mix in the cooled syrup, then the cinnamonâ€""just a speck", Bill cautions. "You don't' want to taste it but you can tell if it's not there."

4.Pour the honeysuckle mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's directions. Note: Stored tightly covered in the freezer, this sorbet will keep for about two weeks. Soften slightly before serving.

Courtesy "A Love Affair with Southern Cooking: Recipes and Recollections," by Jean Anderson, published Harper Collins, 2007.


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