Kitchenware from Roan Iris
Summer meals are full of savory foods heavy with spicy sauces, dairy, salt, and fat. And while delicious, these heavy flavors can lead to palate fatigue—that moment when the salt, dairy, and fat basically coat the tongue and food just stops tasting great. Enter the palate cleanser: a combination of cold, crisp, tart, lightly sweetened flavors that helps refresh and reset the taste buds.
A citrus or bright berry sorbet works well to cut through savory flavors. And if you add wine, the alcohol softens the ice crystals to make an easy, smooth, and delicious summer dessert. Simply blend fruit, sugar, lemon juice, and a bright pink wine—such as Domaine Rimbert ‘Le Petit Cochon Bonzé’ ($17, Vino Per Tutti)—in a high-powered blender for about 10 minutes then freeze to create a treat that freezes soft, is always scoopable, and lasts about 4 days in the freezer.
SERVES 4–6
1 pint frozen strawberries, stems removed
⅓ cup sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
1 cup rosé wine
Combine all the ingredients in a high-speed blender and blend on low until ingredients start to come together. Increase the speed to medium and continue blending until smooth. Pour the contents into a shallow freezer-safe 8.5- by 6.5-inch container with a lid. Freeze. It takes about 8 hours to fully set.