Zen orange basil sorbet

[pegkerr]

I stopped at Sebastian Joe's today and bought a small cup of orange basil sorbet. I lingered over every spoonful, trying to savor each bite. The sorbet is a light green, with flecks of darker green, the basil, the color muted by a mist of condensation scrimmed over the surface. The sorbet is not tightly packed, so it is easy to scoop a bite, and it crumbles a bit as you put it into your mouth and then starts to melt. The citrus taste of the orange and the taste of the basil are perfectly balanced; together the effect is clean, palate-cleansing. It's a bit confusing, too: I expect the taste of basil to be blended with garlic and parmesan instead of orange.

I eat it slowly, feeling the coldness grow in my tongue as each mouthful melts, the crumbly texture morphing into smoothness. I try to concentrate on each mouthful, feeling the play of flavors as each spoonful changes in texture and temperature as I swallow. My tongue aches a bit from the cold, my throat a little less so. It's a pleasant ache.

I scrape the last of the frozen sorbet up with the spoon and lick it off and then tip the cup to capture the last sweet green drop. The last drop lasts as long as I can possibly manage. My mouth slowly warms again, but the clean, green taste lingers.

Comments

[jbru.livejournal.com]

Yummy!

[md-jess.livejournal.com]

I envy the vividness of this description. It's so real, especially with the little details like the cold ache.
PS. Did any of your teachers at school ever ask you what you did on the weekend?

[lapsus-0-calami.livejournal.com]

So you didn't enjoy it much then!

We are having a 'mini heatwave' here in the UK at the moment, that is to say the temperature is over 30 degrees for two or three days. When it is hot the whole country generally falls apart. I heard on the news that the trains are having to go really slow because, can you beleive it, the tracks may 'buckle' in the heat. My god, it's not that hot!

I could just fancy some of that sorbet, it sounds delicious.

[corinnethewise.livejournal.com]

::stares in awe:: Wait, and you've been having doubts about your writing ability? ...

[pegkerr.livejournal.com]

Sure they did. But even more recently, I was asking my students what they did on the weekend. I haven't been teaching writing for a number of years, though.

Peg

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

I'm moving to Minneapolis. Where is this Sebastian Joe's?

[trinker.livejournal.com]

Lovely! Thank you for the description. It sounds rather like the orange mint sorbet I made last month.

[arcly.livejournal.com]

That was such a good description I feel as if I just ate it, and if I ever come across one I won't hesitate to order it. Thank you. Delicious :)

Herbal ice cream

[dreamshark.livejournal.com]

I reallly like the recent trend toward herbs and seasonings in ice-cream. If you liked the orange/basil, check out Crema Cafe - Home of Sonny's Ice Cream - at 34th and Lyndale. If you're lucky they might be serving their Cardamom/Black Pepper ice cream. It seems to be a follow-on to last summer's Black Pepper/Vanilla. That one was interesting, but the vanilla wasn't a strong enough flavor to balance the sting of the pepper. Cardamom is. Mmmm. Tastes like an Indian restaurant smells, only sweeter.

Sebastian Joe's

[pegkerr.livejournal.com]

Here's a map (at bottom of the page), and here's another older informative article.

Re: Sebastian Joe's

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

Awesome, thanks!

[til-midnight.livejournal.com]

Damn you. Now I want ice cream.

[bohemianspirit.livejournal.com]

Must go to Sebastian Joe's and to Crema Cafe...