Champagne Sorbet
Sorbet au Champagne
(Serves 6-8)

2 C water
2 1/3 C sugar
1 C fresh lemon juice
1 bottle champagne *

Bring water and sugar to a boil, stirring constantly till sugar dissolves. Boil for another 3-5 minutes, stirring. Allow syrup to cool completely, stirring occasionally.

Once syrup is cool, stir in lemon juice and champagne. Pour into one large flat pan, or several smaller ones and place in freezer till mixture becomes slushy. Puree in a blender to break up crystals. Return to freezer and puree again in 1 hour. Return to freezer. Soften sorbet 30 minutes before serving by placing pans in refrigerator. Scoop into pretty chilled glasses.

*  For an alcohol-free version, replace champagne with your favorite fruit juice and add extra flavor by stirring in pureed fresh fruit before freezing.

Tips & Glossary: French

Bouquet Garni: (boo-kay gar-nee)  bundle of  herbs tied together with string or wrapped in cheese cloth square; usually parsley, thyme, bay leaf, and peppercorns. Flavor is released during long cooking.  Remove before serving.

Chervil: (sher-vil) related to parsley but has a delicate anise flavor. Long cooking kills flavor, so add at the last minute.

Cornichon:  (kor-nee-shon) teeny-tiny pickle, served with pates & smoked meats; found in specialty food stores.

Fines Herbes: (feen-airb) mix of finely chopped herbs: parsley, chives, tarragon, & chervil. Not as strong as a bouqet garni. Buy it at most grocery stores.

Fromage: (fra-mahj) Cheese!  The French eat more than any nationality, 45 pounds per year; and the country makes more cheeses than any other country, about 400. The three great pedigreed French cheeses are:
• Brie (East of Paris)
• Camembert (Normandy)
• Roquefort (Southwest   France, from sheep’s milk)
There are also wonderful lesser-known cheeses:
• Beaufort (Rhone Alps, hard,   yellow Gruyere-type)
• Chevre (Loire Valley, soft,   goat’s milk)
• Comte (Alps region, hard,    yellow Gruyere-type)
• Emmental (Alps region,   “Swiss” cheese with holes)
• Gruyere (hard, yellow   cheese—originally French,   now most is Swiss)
• Tomme (means “cheese”;   soft, many varieties, all   from skim milk)

Herbes de Provence:  (airb-duh-pro-vonce) mix of dried herbs, usually thyme, rosemary, marjoram, basil, & bay leaf.  Can be found at most grocery stores.

Mutarde: (moo-tard), mustard. Most famous:
• Dijon ( from the town in Burgundy)
• Meaux (from Meaux, east of Paris; whole-grained; made by Pommery).

Nicoise Olive:  (nee-swaz- oh-leev) small, purplish-black olive with a mellow, nutty flavor; used primarily in Salade Nicoise. The Picholine variety is a green, medium-sized olive with a light, nutty flavor.

Roux: (roo) paste-like mix of melted butter and flour, into which liquid is gradually added.  The basis of every classic French sauce. 
Basic Roux: 1 part butter to 1 part flour.  Melt butter and add flour, stirring vigorously, till it becomes a paste-like consistency. At this point, add slowly whatever liquid your recipe calls for.