Rhubarb and blueberry sorbet

I've been growing rhubarb for the first time and was initially impressed with how well my little plug was progressing. Its leaves gradually withered though as the constant wind and rain took its toll and I began to regret not harvesting what I had when the red stalks were very still very small but looked juicy. 

The plant is back on track and is making steady progress now the pot is safely tucked under the cover of my makeshift plastic greenhouse and I still hope to taste its fruit in a couple of weeks time. 

Meanwhile, the UK weather has done a complete volte face and has gone from hail and torrential rain to a full on heatwave. It was 34 degrees in our garden today, which suited the Mediterranean herbs quite well but did the seedlings I was potting out no favours. 

Escaping to the cool indoors, I investigated what we could have to quench our thirst. Iced tea and coffee, especially a refreshing roiboos, but there's also a stash of pureed rhubarb my friend Susi gave us a while ago. 

I've cobbled together a DIY sorbet recipe, adding 150g of blueberries to the green rhubarb mix and a dash of mint. Ginger is a good alternative to mint, while most recipes use strawberries for the colour and additional sweetness. Several recipes I found online suggested a dash of spirits such as gin or vodka - this Kimberly Hasselbrink one looks amazing - to break down the tartness of the fruit. 

I don't have an ice cream maker so blended everything in the food mixer to make it as smooth as possible and then kept nipping indoors to stir up the mixture as it froze - a good discipline for ensuring I didn't get too much unseasonal heat. 

Rhubarb and blueberry sorbet recipe

Place 200g of stewed rhubarb (thaw out frozen stewed fruit; use fresh if available) in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. 

Simmer with 100g blueberries, 150ml of water and around 50g of caster sugar. 

Add small sprig of fresh mint or half a teaspoon of freeze-dried mint

Slowly bring to boil, stirring frequently

Remove from heat and allow mixture to cool

Whizz up the mixture in a blender until it becomes smooth

Pour into an airtight container and freeze for around two hours or until begins to firm up. Stir or break up into chunks and blend in food processor using the chopping blade. Return to freezer and allow to freeze. 

Will need around 15 minutes to become sufficiently defrosted to serve. 

Serve with fresh fruit and/bitter chocolate cookie or mouse. Add a mint leaf for decoration.