Champagne Ice Cream
This elegant Victorian-era dessert transforms sparkling champagne into a refreshing, dairy-free frozen treat similar to a modern sorbet. The preparation begins with a technique resembling oleo-saccharum, where lemon zest is rubbed into sugar to extract aromatic oils, before being mixed with fresh lemon juice and a full bottle of champagne. The result is a sophisticated, icy palate cleanser or light dessert with a crisp, zesty flavor profile perfect for celebrations.
Ingredients
- 1 bottle Champagne (Standard 750ml bottle.)
- 1/2 pound Granulated sugar (Originally 'Soji sugar 0.5 ratal'. Approximately 1 cup.)
- 2 whole Lemons (Juice and zest required.)
Instructions
- 1Wash the lemons thoroughly. Grate the zest (peel) of both lemons into a bowl containing the sugar. Squeeze the juice from the lemons and add it to the sugar and zest mixture.
- 2Rub the mixture vigorously with your hands or a spoon to dissolve the sugar and extract the oils from the peel. Once well mixed, strain the liquid through a fine sieve or cheesecloth to remove the solid peel, keeping only the flavored syrup.
- 3Mix the champagne into the strained lemon-sugar syrup. Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker (sancha) and churn according to the manufacturer's instructions until frozen hard. If an ice cream maker is not available, pour into a shallow container, freeze, and scrape with a fork every 30 minutes until set (granita style).