Sorbet for a Royal Baby - White Currant and Rose Petal

What could be nicer than the delicate flavours of white currants and rose petals?   A delicious, frothy white sorbet, perfect to celebrate a Royal birth.  This is my first white currant harvest, so they were few and very precious.  The sorbet has a very light texture and a delicate currant flavour, with a concentrated essence boosting the white roses, and was an instant success! You could make it with redcurrants and red petals.

White Currant and Rose Petal Sorbet

8oz/225g white currants, stems removed (keep a few whole for decoration)

1 tbsp water

½ pint/300ml sugar syrup (made by boiling 8oz/225g sugar with half pint of water for 5 mins)

4 large white roses

juice of 1 lemon

3-5 drops rose essence

1 egg white

Make the sugar syrup and cool it (you can put it in the freezer!).   Wash the white currants, and put them into a pan with 1 tbsp water.  Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat and simmer gently for 5 minutes until they are soft.   Sieve the currants to remove the seeds, making a purée.   Cool the purée.  

Take the roses and twist the petals all at once off the stamens.  Then cut out the hard nib section at the bottom of each petal (and remove any little blossom beetles that may have taken up residence!).   In a blender, liquidise the petals with the lemon juice, pushing the petals back down into the blades so that they are cut very small indeed. 

Mix together the syrup, currant purée and petals.  Add a few drops of rose essence to boost the taste.   Whisk the egg white until it forms soft peaks and fold it into the mixture. 

Chill in an ice cream maker.  It will make a frothy, light sorbet.   Alternatively, freeze in a shallow container in the freezer, breaking it up with a fork every hour or so to stop large crystals from forming.