Sunday, March 21, 2010

Restaurant Inspiration - Guillaume at Bennelong and Peach Sorbet

Summer is over and soon the leaves will start turning orange and dropping into my garden en masse.  To use up very ripe end of summer stonefruits, there is nothing better than a fruit sorbet. 

I started an intermittent series last year where I cook something I have eaten in a restaurant.  This was our dessert at Guillaume of Bennelong, where we ate in January.  It is described as strawberries and blackberries with lemon verbena cream, meringue and a trio of raspberries.   This strawberry sorbet was smooth and rich and delicious.


Guillaume is a rather fine dining restaurant located in this anonymous little structure on Sydney Harbour. 

Guillaume at Bennelong on Urbanspoon



See the little sails on the right - that is where the restaurant is located.   It shrieks Special Occasion (shudder).

However, I had a marvellous meal here, and it was a restaurant which disproved the oft quoted rule that the quality of the food in a restaurant is in inverse proportion to the view. 

The peaches this year have been nothing short of superb.  The orchards got rain and sun at just the right time and we have been feasting on peaches for months now. 

In honour of Guillaume Brahimi, here is a peach sorbet.

First step is to double check the recipe.  In my case this involves reassembling the cookbook from whence it came.  It really is time to bite the bullet and buy a new copy of this book.



Pile the peaches up attractively for a last shot:



Peel and remove pips.  It all looks a bit like a massacre at this stage. Avert your eyes if you need to.  But not whilst holding knife.





Put in food processor with about 100g of caster sugar (the actual recipe calls for 680g peaches and 100g sugar. I find about 6 peaches makes 680g.  You can adjust the proportion of suger down if you do not have enough peaches).




Add a little lemon juice after liquidising. 



Put into ice cream maker.  As an aside, can I just say how much I love this appliance. I am not an appliance person.  We do not have a microwave (yes I am the only person I have ever heard of with children and no microwave), we have no toasted sandwich maker, milkshake maker or popcorn maker (all of which incidentally populated my childhood kitchen in the 1970s so there is obviously something going on there).  

And if you look at the photo above you can see that I have a set of scales which date from 1947.    



But I do have a Girmi GranGelato maker and it is heavenly.   Simple to operate (it has an on/off switch and that is it) and easy to clean, it makes icecream and gelati in about 15 minutes. In my case I had to set it up in the hallway because Certain People were complaining about the churning noise.  But don't let that put you off buying one.  



Here it is once churned suitably.   My camera cannot really capture the pinky blush colour of this sorbet, with little flecks of red (where my peeling skills failed me). 


Divine.
Next up (when I find them), fig sorbet.

12 comments:

brismod said...

I am so impressed that you own an ice-cream maker, Jane! I would trade my micro-wave and other superfluous appliances for just one ice-cream maker. Divine.

Jacqueline @ HOME said...

Oh Jane,
I must get myself an ice cream maker. I, like you am averse to 'kitchen appliances' and, when I was younger succunbed to a few but found that, after a few goes, they were demoted to the kitchen cupboard and, since then I have not bought any but, that peach sorbet looks divine. I look forward to your fig recipe, Jane XXXX

Pinecone Camp said...

Thanks for the step-by-step recipe, Jane. This looks delicious! I can't wait for summer. Have a great weekend.

karen said...

Delish...my mouth is watering! I'm surprised the peaches didn't take a beating from all the hail you had a bit ago.

Dumbwit Tellher said...

Jane such fun having you take us through the process. I must say I'm going to bed now craving sorbet in the worst way. A really great post!

Happy Sunday and great new week to you xx

~*~ saskia ~*~ said...

Looking so so delicious! Your blog is lovely... off to read some of your past posts! Have a happy week ahead.

Ange said...

We too are a 'no kitchen appliance' house. Although I do have 1 food processor that works well. I miss my blender (it objected to the high pressure hosing from the firemen during the housefire ;-), but thanks to you have decided that ... I'm finally going to bite the bullet and invest in an icecream maker!!! I may have to find a pair of kitchen scales like yours too.

Mmmm - my kids will forgive me for making popcorn the easy, old fashioned way if I make them kiwifruit sorbet - which should be about now with all the over ripe kiwi fruit...
Hmm - we are a 3 kid family without a clothes dryer too. What does that give me an excuse to splurge on? ;-)

YUMMO JANE!

Julie@beingRUBY said...

Dear Jane
I just want to eat those peaches right now!! wouldn't be able to wait for the sorbet! although it looks incredible!! I don't have an icecream maker.. although it could be good for making sorbet.. now I've read your post will have to consider it... Love the kitchen scales.. dearly would love those.. even if just for aesthetic reasons... Now I have a friend who also does not have a microwave... she doesn't believe it is safe...mine recently died and it took me 2 weeks to get a new one and it was a little frustrating when you have become accustomed to it... silly really when you think we grew up without them... Have a great week Jane.. xxx Julie

Laura said...

I've been hankering for an ice cream maker you know...I think this might be my year. Once the summer fruits start around here the temptation will be too great. How gorgeous your sorbet looks, and I LOVE that scale. Incredible. My digital one is starting to fail after only three years, clearly they really did make things better "back then".

Millie said...

A 5-star effort Jane! I adore peaches - the first thing MOTH cooked for me afer we'd met were peaches (from our tree) poached in a sugar syrup laced with scrumptious Rutherglen muscat & topped with Amaretti crumbs. I was won over. I also adore Guillame more than I can tell you-I sit at my desk some days just practising my future signature - Millie Brahimi, big sigh.
M ^_^

Unknown said...

Hi Jane, I have given you a blog award today over on my blog. No pressure to take part if you don't feel like it. Love your blog!
Jx

Joslyn said...

my hubby's favorite is peach ice cream. i'll have to attempt this...looks fantastic!

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