Tomato & Basil Sorbet (v)

[mike]

4 fl oz cocktail gomme
3 lbs ripe tomatoes
2 shallots finely chopped
olive oil
1 doz basil leaves - torn not cut
1 tsp worcester sauce

Chop your tomatoes finely and split into two piles.

Heat the olive oil in a heavy frying pan, add the chopped shallots and cook until translucent.
Turn the heat up to high, keep stirring shallots and when pan is HOT add 1 pile of tomatoes (careful, it will spit), turn heat down when tomatoes are simmering, and leave until reduced by half (this and glutinous).

To make the cocktail gomme, put 4 oz of demerara sugar in a pan, add 4 tbsp of water and heat slowly until the sugar has dissolved.

Take off heat, add rest of tomatoes, the gomme and the worcester sauce.

Liquidise, then sieve into the ice cream maker bowl. Taste and add (optionally) some balsamic vinegar to sweeten some more. Add the torn basil and churn until set.

[mike]

Last time I served this was at a dinner party when I presented roundels of it (using two dessert spoons to shape it) on a piece of iceberg lettuce as a palate cleanser between the fish and meat courses.

Like the rolls that sausages are served with in Germany, the iceberg should be discarded and not eaten.