Ever since reading Adam Gollner's article about apricots in Lucky Peach, I've actually avoided the fruit. Partly because they're in season for a very short time here, and partly because I know that none of the varieties I have access to would even come close to what he describes he tasted. In any case, I decided to buy a basket to turn into a frozen dessert.
Using the apricot cardamom sherbet recipe from Frozen Desserts (by Caroline Liddell and Robin Weir) as a guide, I gently cooked a pound and a half of apricots in a syrup, along with a half-inch piece of ginger. After letting it cool a bit, I pureed the mixture, forgetting to remove the hunk of ginger. A mesh strainer didn't pick up very many chunks, as the Vitamix completely pulverized the skin and fibre of the fruit. After a night in the fridge, I added milk, but omitted the beaten egg white.
The resulting sherbet froze hard enough, that it required 15 minutes on the counter to be soft enough to scoop. The flavour, well, without mincing words: it tasted a bit like baby food. It's doesn't have a rich mouthfeel like ice cream does, nor does it have a purity of flavour that a sorbet has. An interesting experiment, but I don't know that I would make more sherbets.
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