A production sorbet. The syrup is infused with crushed cardamom and then with basil off the heat, and the base is matured overnight before it is churned.
Approximately 14 to 15 litres
The maturation is not optional. An overnight rest dramatically improves both texture and flavour, and a sorbet churned straight away tastes thinner.
Ingredients
Fruit base
- Guava purée10 kg
Syrup
- Caster sugar2.5 kg
- Water2.5 L
Acidity
- Fresh lime juice800 ml
- White grape vinegar200 ml
Aromatics and seasoning
- Green cardamom pods, lightly crushed30 each
- Fresh basil leaves150 g
- Fine sea salt20 g
Method
Combine the water and sugar and bring to a gentle simmer. Add the crushed cardamom pods and simmer gently for 5 minutes.
Off the heat, add the basil leaves, cover, and infuse for 20 to 30 minutes. Strain through a fine chinois and cool completely.
In a large container, combine the guava purée, the infused syrup, the lime juice, the white grape vinegar and the salt, and blend thoroughly with an immersion blender.
Cover and refrigerate overnight, for a minimum of 6 hours.
Churn according to your machine's capacity and transfer immediately to gastronorm containers.
Freeze at minus 18°C for at least 4 hours before service.
Chef’s notes
- If the guava is very sweet, increase the white grape vinegar to 250 ml. If it is very ripe and floral, reduce the cardamom to 20 pods.
- Chef Paul's preferred version of this sorbet, recorded in the same source: the same formula with the white grape vinegar at 250 ml and the cardamom at 25 pods. The formula above is the canonical one and this is his own adjustment of it.
- Plated, it takes crushed pistachios, micro basil and a few drops of good olive oil.
Keeping
DUKAI storage guidance
Held at minus 18°C in a sealed container it keeps its quality for about two weeks, and texture is what goes first. The base is matured refrigerated at 5°C or below overnight as part of making it, and should be churned the next day rather than held longer.
Last refined · September 2026