There’s nothing I like better than very, very cold Champagne. So cold that I usually drop a small ice cube into my glass to make sure it’s as chilled as possible. I always feared that it was offensive and crass to ice down Champagne until I went to a tasting of Krug Champagne, considered by many to be the finest of them all. I didn’t dare drop an ice cube into any of the glasses that were presented to me, but I did confide that I often did so to one of their experts, who surprised me by saying that it’s perfectly acceptable to put a bit of ice in Champagne for the very reason I do it. For this sorbet, you don’t need to use the finest French Champagne. In fact, I’ve made it successfully with Italian prosecco and Spanish cava—without offending anyone.

　　

Ingredients

makes about 1 quart (1 liter) sorbet; 8 servings

　　2 cups (500 ml) freshly squeezed pink grapefruit juice

　　3/4 cup (150 g) sugar

　　1 cup (250 ml) Champagne or other sparkling wine

　　Champagne or other sparkling wine, for serving

　　

Step 1

In a small saucepan, warm 1/2 cup (125 ml) of the grapefruit juice and the sugar, stirring until the sugar completely dissolves.

　　

Step 2

Pour the mixture into a medium bowl and add the remaining grapefruit juice and the Champagne or other sparkling wine. Cover and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.

　　

Step 3

Freeze in an ice cream machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

　　

Step 4

To serve, scoop the sorbet into chilled serving glasses or Champagne flutes and pour Champagne or other sparkling wine over. Serve right away.

　　

tip

Step 5

You can scoop the sorbet onto a chilled baking sheet and store the balls in the freezer so that they are quickly and easily dropped into the serving glasses just before serving.

　　Ready for Dessert by David Lebovitz. Copyright © 2010 by David Lebovitz. Published by Ten Speed Press. All Rights Reserved.David Lebovitz lived in San Francisco for twenty years before moving to Paris. He baked at several notable restaurants before starting his career as a cookbook author and food writer. He's the author of four highly regarded books on desserts, and has written for many major food magazines, sharing his well-tested recipes written with a soupçon of humor. His popular, award-winning blog, www.davidlebovitz.com, entertains readers from around the world with sweet and savory recipes as he tries to unravel the complexities of living in Paris.