Roasted Strawberry and Hibiscus Sorbet

Strawberries are one of the most beloved dessert flavors. Think of any happy childhood memory and strawberry will have played a role. Strawberry is also one of the most elusive flavors so it’s no surprise that so much artificial strawberry flavor abounds in most food products: from puddings and breakfast cereal to soda and candy. The slightest tinge of heat and the strawberry’s vibrantly red hue and juicy flesh shrivels to a flaccid pink imitation of its former self. But if you take this tinge of heat to the extreme, as in roasting, the strawberry will willingly yield its essence.

Originally, I used this technique for an upside down cake but one day, I forgot the strawberries in the oven…at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. At first, I was dismayed. My roasted strawberries were covered with a thin patina of charred skin. Always the gustatory explorer, I stuck my finger in the liquid and took a lick: the strawberry flavor washed over my mouth in a wave of memories…bubble gum, wine, pie, jam. Excitedly, I took another lick, and another lick. It was an intoxicating experience, and one that I hope you’ll enjoy when making this recipe.

For the sorbet base, the strawberries are macerated with sugar, roasted until slightly charred, and pureed. I paired the roasted strawberries with hibiscus to add a refreshing and tangy element.  In the Caribbean, the tea of the hibiscus flowers is also known as sorrel. (This is not the same as French sorrel, the salad green.) Popular at Christmas time, sorrel is mixed with herbs, spices (and sometimes wine), sweetened with cane sugar, and served cold. As there are only four ingredients in this recipe, you should use strawberries that smell like strawberries. If you can’t smell them before you see them, then don’t use them.

Roasted Strawberry and Hibiscus Sorbet: The Recipe

For the Hibiscus Infusion:

Steep 1 oz of dried hibiscus flowers in 16 oz. of cold water. Chill for at least 24 hours.

For the Sorbet:

24 oz. strawberries, hulled and quartered

6 oz. granulated sugar

1 vanilla bean

12 oz. hibiscus infusion

Preheat oven to 475 degrees Fahrenheit. Toss the strawberries with the sugar. Split and scrape the vanilla bean and toss the pod and seeds with the strawberries and sugar. Place the strawberries in a single layer on a half sheet pan and cook until the strawberries are slightly charred (about 15 to 25 minutes). When cool, puree the strawberries and add the hibiscus infusion. Chill the sorbet base thoroughly before freezing in an ice cream machine.