Rhubarb Sorbet & Ginger Beer Float

Would you believe I burned myself making sorbet?  I boiled the ingredients in the melding step (see the recipe below), but then forgot the critical step of letting it cool completely before blending.  The mixture went everywhere, and two months out I still have a burn on my wrist to prove it.  It’s just the latest in a long history of self-endangerment in the kitchen.

The worst burn I ever got while cooking happened exactly four years ago when I had moved into the Village at Case.  We had a big, unwieldy stack of dishes in the sink, and one of my plastic bowls had slipped over one of my friend’s pots.  The two remained tightly wedged together despite an hour of Macgyvering with floss and a safety pin.  Scientist that I am, I figured that putting the pot on the stove would expand the pot and allow me to jimmy the two loose.  What I didn’t realize was that there was still a little bit of water inside the pot that had turned into steam upon heating.

When I lifted the pot to take it to the sink, the bowl flew off and steam poured out, burning my arm and the side of my torso through my shirt.  I went to sleep that night among several bags of frozen vegetables, and woke up with a weeping second degree burn mottled with blisters.  My arm looked like a menu item at a barbecue joint.

I originally wanted to share this story so I could show you the gruesome pictures of my burn.  But in the end, I thought better of putting my burned anatomy on Braised Anatomy.  Hope you enjoy the recipe!

Ingredients (adapted from Simply Recipes)

• 5 stalks fresh rhubarb, chopped
• 2 1/2 cups of water
• 1 2/3 cups of sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• 2 teaspoons of lemon zest
• 1 Tbsp chopped fresh ginger
• 2 tablespoons of light corn syrup

Bring all ingredients except the corn syrup to boil in a medium pot.  Reduce the heat to a simmer and let cook for 5 minutes, then turn off the heat and let cool completely.  Pour into a blender (work in batches if you feel like the blender will overflow) and pulse until pureed.  Strain through a fine-mesh strainer, stir in the corn syrup, then freeze according to your ice cream maker’s directions.  Transfer immediately to a tupperware container and store in the freezer for at least an hour so that it firms up.  Serve on top of ginger beer — my favorite brand is Regatta, but the only place I’ve seen it is at the west side market.

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