MIXED BERRY CHAMBORD SORBET AND "CLAIRE" ROYALES

Despite the thick marine layer clinging to everything in sight, summer is upon us a couple hundred feet into the atmosphere.  Up there birds are chirping, angels are drinking mint juleps, and airplane passengers look down and wonder why they decided to visit LA in June.  With June Gloom making a mess of the outside, we might as well pretend like it's summer on the inside, right?  I find that champagne is the most expedient tonic for anything grey and dull, and as an homage to my sister, whose favorite libation is the Kir Royale, I bring you her summertime sister, the Claire Royale.  Rather than the usual splash of Chambord, I dress mine up with mixed berries simmered with Chambord and turned into a bright, tasty sorbet.  Just use a melon-baller to scoop little spheres into the bottom of your champagne glass, and you'll feel the fog lift meta-physically immediately.

Ingredients:

Half pint raspberries

Half pint blueberries

Half pint blackberries

One Pint strawberries, quartered

1/4 cup Chambord

3 tablespoons honey

1/2 a can of unsweetened, frozen orange juice concentrate

1/2 a can of unsweetened frozen raspberry juice concentrate

In a medium sized pot over a medium flame, let the berries simmer with the Chambord and honey for about 20 minutes, or until extremely juicy.  The trick here is to use the sweetest berries you can find, as there is no additional sugar added.  Taste for sweetness and add honey to your liking.  Allow the mixture to cool in the fridge, and then blitz the berry mixture and concentrate in a food processor until smooth and incorporated.  Completely chill this mixture (I actually pop mine in the freezer for an hour) and then put into your ice cream machine to completely freeze smoothly.  

You can now eat the sorbet straight (it's really delicious and light) or using a melon baller, pop a ball or two into a champagne glass and pour champagne over it.  You can use any decent sparkling wine, though I recommend one on the dry side, as the sorbet will bring quite a bit of sweetness.  Enjoy!