Cantaloupe Sweet Basil Sorbet with Toasted Almond Sandies

I found the most beautiful Tuscan style cantaloupes at Oliver's market in Santa Rosa over the fourth of July weekend. They are distinctive looking with deep grooves and a more oval shape than a regular cantaloupe. They have a deep orange color, a sweet aroma and flavor. I've been reading all kinds of recipes for sorbets and ice creams this summer and had been wanting to use my ice cream maker to churn up a frozen treat. So with the beautiful cantaloupes and a bag of sweet basil my mother harvested from her garden for me I went to work or rather my ice cream maker went to work! I used the Italian variety of basil which we love to grow here in the summer, imagine living in a warm tropical climate where basil is an annual!


I made this sorbet to bring to a friend's home for dinner so I also wanted to make a batch of cookies to enjoy along side, any excuse to make cookies, it really doesn't take much to push me into a cookie making mode. My recipes were adapted from The Last Course by Claudia Fleming. This is a beautiful cookbook written by Claudia Fleming when she was the pastry chef at Gramercy Tavern and it is filled with wonderful composed dessert recipes that work! She recommends not using an overripe melon for this recipe because if the melon is at all mushy, the sorbet can take on a 'funky flavor' and you know we do not want that!


Ingredients and Directions for Cantaloupe Sorbet
Yields 3 & 1/4 cups

6 cups ripe cantaloupe, peeled, seeded and cubed, about 1 & 1/2 cantaloupes
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sweet basil infused simple syrup, see recipe below

In a large bowl mix together the cantaloupe and sugar, let rest for 15 minutes to dissolve the sugar. Purée the cantaloupe in a blender and transfer to a container. Stir 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons of water plus the simple syrup into the cantaloupe mixture and chill into very cold, at least 3-4 hours. Freeze in your ice cream maker, according to the manufacturer's directions.

To Make Sweet Basil Infused Syrup
Yields 2 & 1/2 cups

2 cups sugar
1 large handful sweet basil leaves

In a small sauce pan bring 1 & 1/2 cups of water and 2 cups of sugar to a simmer, let cook for about 1 minute until the sugar dissolves, remove from the heat and add a large handful of sweet basil leaves. Let this mixture rest for 30 minutes and strain. Chill in fridge before adding to the cantaloupe mixture.


Ingredients and Directions for Toasted Almond Sandies
Yields 6 dozen cookies

1 cup lightly toasted slivered almonds
2 cups all purpose flour
2 sticks unsalted butter
2/3 cup confectioners sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

In a food processor grind the almonds with 1/4 cup flour, set aside. In a stand mixer beat together the butter and sugar until creamy about 2-3 minutes. Add the vanilla and beat well.
Sift together the remaining flour, salt and baking powder, add it to the butter mixture and mix together until just combined. Stir in the nut mixture. Form the dough into 2 logs, wrap in plastic and chill for several hours until dough is firm.

Preheat the oven to 350°F

Using a sharp knife slice the cookies into coins, between 1/8-1/4¨ thick. Place on ungreased cookie sheet and bake 8-9 minutes until golden brown on the bottom of cookies, the tops stay light. Cool on a rack and enjoy alone or with sorbet!