Honeysuckle Sorbet
My friend Ed first mentioned Honeysuckle Sorbet a couple of years or so ago.
The mere mention of the word honeysuckle always conjurs up a fleeting ethereal aroma, the smell of Chapel Hill on a cool summer morning around 6 AM. Actually, it's more specific than that--it brings to mind a specific morning, back when I was still living in my 291 sq ft apartment and working over night at WCHL. There was honeysuckle all around my apartment, and the smell that early in the morning, with the sun not quite yet up, was intoxicating. I never noticed the aroma when I was a kid in Bahama, but I do remember the subtle spark of flavor from sucking on the blossoms.
When Ed first told me about this fleeting treat, I knew I'd have to try it someday. Tuesday afternoon, he reminded me again.
Crook's Corner in Chapel Hill is the only place I know that creates this fleeting late spring concoction, so Tim and I decided to go there for dessert on Tuesday evening. We ended up changing plans and having dinner.
I had the Carolina Sampler-North Carolina hickory smoked, pit cooked, pork barbecue served w/ hoppin’ John, collard greens & black pepper cornbread--and Tim had their Crook's Hamburger with Vermont Cheddar and fries. The barbecue was quite good with a tangy/hot sauce, and the burger was one of the best I've ever tasted. While I'm not a fan of collards, these were among the best I've ever had. I'm a fan of savory white cornbread, but Tim's a fan of yellow and sweet, so he liked the cornbread much better than I did.
Of course the whole point of the trip was dessert. There was no question what I'd have, but Tim chose to be different, having instead the Mount Airy Chocolate Souffle Cake. I found the cake delightfully rich, dark, and chocolately, just what Tim doesn't care for in dessert, but he managed to force himself to finish it. The cake was great, but the Honeysuckle Sorbet, we both agreed, was stupendous. The first taste is everything you could dream a honeysuckle flavored confection would be: delicate, subtle, yet distinctive, sweet with a hint of ginger. Intoxicatingly heady, like that early morning aroma. Our waiter said a little girl had summed it up when she said, "Mister, tell the chef it tastes like magic." I'd have to agree.
The mere mention of the word honeysuckle always conjurs up a fleeting ethereal aroma, the smell of Chapel Hill on a cool summer morning around 6 AM. Actually, it's more specific than that--it brings to mind a specific morning, back when I was still living in my 291 sq ft apartment and working over night at WCHL. There was honeysuckle all around my apartment, and the smell that early in the morning, with the sun not quite yet up, was intoxicating. I never noticed the aroma when I was a kid in Bahama, but I do remember the subtle spark of flavor from sucking on the blossoms.
When Ed first told me about this fleeting treat, I knew I'd have to try it someday. Tuesday afternoon, he reminded me again.
Crook's Corner in Chapel Hill is the only place I know that creates this fleeting late spring concoction, so Tim and I decided to go there for dessert on Tuesday evening. We ended up changing plans and having dinner.
I had the Carolina Sampler-North Carolina hickory smoked, pit cooked, pork barbecue served w/ hoppin’ John, collard greens & black pepper cornbread--and Tim had their Crook's Hamburger with Vermont Cheddar and fries. The barbecue was quite good with a tangy/hot sauce, and the burger was one of the best I've ever tasted. While I'm not a fan of collards, these were among the best I've ever had. I'm a fan of savory white cornbread, but Tim's a fan of yellow and sweet, so he liked the cornbread much better than I did.
Of course the whole point of the trip was dessert. There was no question what I'd have, but Tim chose to be different, having instead the Mount Airy Chocolate Souffle Cake. I found the cake delightfully rich, dark, and chocolately, just what Tim doesn't care for in dessert, but he managed to force himself to finish it. The cake was great, but the Honeysuckle Sorbet, we both agreed, was stupendous. The first taste is everything you could dream a honeysuckle flavored confection would be: delicate, subtle, yet distinctive, sweet with a hint of ginger. Intoxicatingly heady, like that early morning aroma. Our waiter said a little girl had summed it up when she said, "Mister, tell the chef it tastes like magic." I'd have to agree.