Pear Sake Sorbet

A friend recently told me that sake is really trendy right now. I'm not quite convinced that it's really any trendier than it's ever been. (Chicken and waffles, however, that's a trend. Why is every restaurant in DC serving this all of a sudden??) Either way, I'm starting my own sake trend, beginning with this sorbet. The pureed pear is sweet and silky, and the sake is a perfect compliment flavor. Plus, the alcohol content prevents the sorbet from getting too icy.

Does this remind you of The Very Hungry Caterpillar?

This was the only sake at the liquor store. I don't know enough about sake to give a recommendation or critique this one's quality, but for my purposes it was perfect.

Peel the pears.

Cut 'em up.

This is what it will look like after you've boiled down the pears in water and sugar.

Recipe:

5 pears
2 cups water
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup sake

Peel and core the pears, cut them into chunks, and place them in a pot with sugar and water. Boil the pears, water, and sugar on medium heat, stirring occasionally, until liquid has thickened into a syrup (20-30 minutes). Remove from heat and chill until cold. Pour pears, syrup, and sake into a blender and puree until smooth. Add to ice cream maker and churn!