CRANBERRY AND ORANGE THYME SORBET

Fresh cranberries make a tangy, slightly tannic and very refreshing sorbet. Infused with the fruity aroma of orange, lemon or English thyme, the sorbet is a delightfully unique cranberry dish to serve before, during or after Thanksgiving dinner.

12 ounces fresh cranberries, washed
1 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups water
Thinly sliced peel of 2 oranges (orange part only)
8 to 12 (3-inch) sprigs fresh thyme, such as orange balsam, lemon or English thyme (1/2 ounce)
1 1/2 cups freshly squeezed orange juice

Bring the cranberries, sugar, water and orange peel to a boil in a medium (3-quart) saucepan. Partially cover the pan and boil until most of the cranberries pop, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the thyme sprigs, remove from the heat, cover tightly and steep for 30 minutes.

Pour the fruit mixture into a fine sieve set on top of a deep bowl. Stir and press down on the fruit with the back of a large spoon to extract as much juice and pulp as you can, leaving the skins and thyme behind in the sieve. Refrigerate the strained mixture until thoroughly chilled.

Stir in the orange juice. Freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's directions.

Makes 1 quart
Source: The Herbfarm Cookbook by Jerry Traunfeld