When I moved into my first home in San Francisco, the backyard was teeming with blackberry bushes. Blinded by greed, I was thrilled at the prospect of having as many luscious blackberries as I wanted. But as I soon learned, blackberry bushes are a mixed blessing, and for the next few years I spent many thorny weekends working to thwart the persistent shrubs from advancing and taking over my entire yard. Luckily, the bonus was indeed lots and lots of inky blackberries all summer long. But each and every one I picked was well earned, and I still have some battle scars to prove it.

　　

Ingredients

makes about 1 quart (1 liter)

　　4 cups (450 g) blackberries, fresh or frozen

　　1 cup (250 ml) water

　　2/3 cup (130 g) sugar

　　2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

　　

Step 1

Purée the blackberries in a blender or food processor with the water and sugar. Press the mixture through a strainer to remove the seeds. Stir in the lemon juice.

　　

Step 2

Chill the mixture thoroughly, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

　　

Perfect Pairing

Step 3

Fill Meringue Nests (page 234) with Blackberry Sorbet and top with Whipped Cream (page 170) and a flurry of crisp French Almonds (page 189).

　　The Perfect Scoop