Below:

> The recipe for sgroppino.

> The history of sgroppino.

> Links to frosé recipes, cousins of sgroppino.

Elsewhere on The Nibble:

> Alcoholic slushie recipes.

> Pairing wine and sorbet for cocktails.

> The year’s 100+ cocktail and spirit holidays.

> The year’s 8 ice cream drink holidays.
 
 
THE HISTORY OF SGROPPINO

Sgroppino (sgro-PEA-no), which originated in Venice, is a refreshing, frothy sorbet cocktail: a slushy combination of lemon sorbet, vodka, and prosecco.

It’s served as a digestif (after-dinner drink) or liquid dessert. You don’t want very sweet drinks before a formal European-style dinner, but it works with hot and spicy cuisines. Sgroppino is no sweeter than a frozen Margarita.

Sgroppino was created by an anonymous kitchen servant in 16th-century Venice. At that time, only wealthy households had the means to keep an ice house* and the staff to make sorbet (sorbetto in Italian) by hand.

In the Venetian dialect, the drink is called sgropin from the verb sgropàre, which means to untie a small knot. The reference is to the knots in one’s stomach following the multi-course dinners of the wealthy. A sweet drink was believed to aid in digestion; hence the after-dinner liqueur.

Sgroppino was also served as a palate cleanser† to refresh the taste buds between the fish and meat courses as well. This “intermezzo,” used to cleanse the palate of fish before moving on to meat, is still served at some fine restaurants today.

The classic was made by whisking softened lemon sorbet with prosecco until frothy (it was described as “whipped snow,” although today we call it a slush).

The recipe evolved to include limoncello, sambuca, or vodka. Today it can be both liqueur and vodka.

More modern variations substitute grapefruit, orange, or strawberry sorbetto. If a larger percentage of sorbetto is added, you get a thicker drink.

In its simplest form, it’s a scoop of sorbet topped with Prosecco, or vice versa.

The drink separates if left to stand, so in Italy, the waiter will often prepare the drink at the tableside.
 
 
RECIPE: SGROPPINO, AN ALCOHOLIC LEMON SLUSH

You can serve sgroppino in a martini glass, coupe, flute, or wine glass…or those “sherbet Champagne” glasses‡, designed for Marie Antoinette but not actually good for serving a sparkling wine.

Ingredients Per Drink

[2] Chef Bikeski adds pomegranate arils for a bit of color.

[3] Some people prefer the cocktail to be separated. In this version, from Zoetrecepten, a scoop of lime sorbet is added to the top of the alcohol.

 
Preparation

1. WHISK together the sorbet and a splash of prosecco until fully blended, using a cocktail shaker or a stainless steel bowl. Continue whisking while slowly pouring in the vodka and prosecco.

2. If using a liqueur, you can blend it with the vodka or drizzle it, Venice-style, into the center of the glass right before serving.

3. SERVE immediately. The drink will separate as it stands, so provide iced tea spoons or straws so people can re-blend as desired. If you take the modern approach of adding sorbet on top of the alcohol, you save the trouble of whisking!

Some mixologists don’t blend the drink in the first place. Instead, they place the scoop of sorbet on top of the alcohol (see photo #3). So separation is not a bad thing, but a choice.
 
Tips

 
 
FROSÉ RECIPES

*Before refrigeration, only the wealthy could afford to have ice cut from lakes and rivers in the winter and stored in ice houses for summer use. The oldest known ice house, built by a king in Persia, dates from about 1700 B.C.E. Most other people dug ice pits, lined with straw and sawdust as insulation. While commercial refrigeration was available by the late 1800s, the home refrigerator didn’t arrive until 1930. Prior to then, the wealthy as well as the middle class used an insulated metal “ice box,” which held a large block of ice delivered from the “ice man” to keep perishables cold. When the ice melted, it was replaced.

†The tartness and citrus acid of lemon sorbet clear the taste buds. Citric acid elicits salivation, which aids in cleansing the palate. Lemons and limes have the highest level of citric acid, which can constitute as much as .3 mol/L, depending on the cultivar and growing conditions. By comparison, grapefruits and oranges have just .005 mol/L (source). Passionfruit also can work. It has 38.7 mg/100g compared to 30 mg/100g (source).

‡“Sherbet champagne” glasses were purportedly designed by Marie Antoinette, who had them molded after the shape of her breasts. Here’s a photo. They are rarely made anymore, as modern knowledge shows that a wide mouth-glass is not appropriate for sparkling wine: It lets the bubbles escape that much more quickly. But if you have these glasses, they’re just fine for serving sorbet, fruit cocktails, and other foods…or sgroppino.
 
 

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You can find the following popular Niçoise dishes in restaurants around the U.S., and they’re easy to make at home (except for the truffle omelet, which is easy to make if you can afford the truffles):

 
And then, there’s Salade Niçoise (Niçoise Salad in English).

The classic Salade Niçoise recipe is a composed salad (i.e., not tossed, but placed) of tomatoes, tuna (cooked or canned), hard-boiled eggs, Niçoise olives and in season, young haricots verts (French green beans). It is served with a Dijon vinaigrette and can be served with or without a bed of salad greens. It is an entrée salad.

Each cook can customize the salad to his or her taste. We’ve included optional extra ingredients below.
 
 
RECIPE: SALADE NIÇOISE

This take on the classic Niçoise salad from McCormick uses two twists: a poached egg and a zesty seasoning blend (the recipe is in the footnote below).
 
Ingredients For 6 Servings

For The Dijon Vinaigrette

 
For The Tuna

 
For The Tuna & Salad

[1] A classic Salade Niçoise from French chef François Payard (photo © Payard).
 

[2] McCormick’s version substitutes a poached egg for the traditional hard-boiled (photo © McCormick).

[3] Trending in America: Kale Niçoise (photo © Williams Sonoma).

[4] Deconstructed Niçoise at the Seafire Grill (photo © Seafire Grill).

 
Serve With…

 
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*Rouille (roo-EE, the word for rust in French) is a sauce made from olive oil with breadcrumbs, garlic, saffron, and red chiles, which give it the rusty orange color. It is served as a garnish with fish and fish soup and is essential with bouillabaisse, the signature fish stew dish of Marseille.

†McCormick’s spice blend recipe is 1 tablespoon chia seeds, 2 teaspoons grated lime peel, 2 teaspoons chili powder, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/4 teaspoon ground chipotle powder. Blend and store tightly capped in the fridge. Makes 2-1/2 tablespoons. Substitute another spice blend or some lemon zest.

[6] Anchovy lovers: layer them on (photo © Flavor Your Life).

1. MAKE the vinaigrette. Place the oil, vinegar, mustard, and sea salt in a blender container; cover. Blend on high speed until smooth. Pour into a small bowl. Stir in the seasoning blend. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

2. SEASON the tuna with salt and pepper. Coat with the seasoning blend, pressing firmly so the mixture adheres to the tuna. Grill or sear: Heat the oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Add the tuna and sear 1-1/2 to 2 minutes on all sides. Remove the tuna to a plate; set aside to cool slightly. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

3. COOK the potatoes. Add them to a large saucepan with simmering salted water to cover. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until fork tender. Drain and rinse with cold water; drain on paper towels to remove the water. Meanwhile…

4. COOK the green beans in a large saucepan of simmering salted water to cover, 3 to 5 minutes or until tender-crisp (don’t overcook). Drain and rinse with cold water; drain well on paper towels. Place in a large bowl with green beans. Add 1/4 cup of the vinaigrette; toss to coat. Season with salt to taste. Set aside.

5. CUT the potatoes in half or quarters, depending on size. Add to a bowl with the green beans.

6. POACH the eggs. Fill a large, deep saucepan with 2 inches of water and 1 tablespoon vinegar. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to medium. Break 1 egg into a small dish and carefully slide it into the simmering water (bubbles should begin to break the surface of the water). Repeat with the remaining eggs. Poach the eggs for 3 to 5 minutes or until the whites are completely set and the yolks begin to thicken. Carefully remove eggs with a slotted spoon. Drain on paper towels.

7. SERVE: Slice the tuna into thin slices. Divide the potato mixture, tomatoes, cucumbers, and olives among 6 plates (aim for an attractive presentation). Top each with tuna slices and a poached egg. Drizzle the remaining vinaigrette over the tuna slices. Sprinkle the egg with some additional seasoning blend.

Make it your own with added ingredients or substitutes. Just keep the five basics: tuna, tomato, egg, green beans, and olives, plus the vinaigrette.

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Ratatouille (rah-tah-TWEE) is a vegetable side dish that originated in the Provence region of France. The classic recipe consists of sautéed eggplant, onions, tomatoes, yellow squash, zucchini plus garlic and herbs.

It is traditionally summer dish, when tomatoes, zucchini and yellow squash are plentiful and at peak.

Ratatouille is delightfully colorful when you use red, yellow and/or orange bell peppers and tomatoes/cherry tomatoes. To make ratatouille as a side dish, check out this recipe.
 
RECIPE: RATATOUILLE PIZZA

Ingredients For 1 Large Pizza

You can save time by purchasing the dough or a prepared crust (we sure did—and saved half the steps in the preparation). But Lisa, of Flour De Lisa made hers from scratch, using a pizza dough recipe from Bobby Flay. She adapted the ratatouille from Smitten Kitchen; we further adapted it.

This can be a vegan recipe; but we adapted it by adding both ricotta and mozzarella. We put the mozzarella under the vegetables to showcase the colors. We also created a breakfast pizza version by adding eggs, which bake on top of the pizza.

Without the cheese, the recipe is dairy free and low fat. Use a whole wheat crust and skim-milk cheeses and you have a pizza that’s on the “better for you” list.
 
Ingredients For The Dough

 
For The Ratatouille

Slice the vegetables to a width of 1/8 to 1/16th inch.

 
Optional Garnishes

 
For The Optional Cheese Layer

[1] Ratatouille pizza (photo courtesy FlourDeLisa.Wordpress.com).

[2] Bake eggs on top of the pizza, or fry or poach them in a pan to turn a ratatouille side into a main (photo courtesy Elegant Affairs Caterers).

[3] Ratatouille (photo © http://www.TheFormerChef.com).

[4] A tian, also from Provence, is another way to enjoy ratatouille ingredients (All-Clad gratin pan photo courtesy Williams-Sonoma).

*You can scatter 10 medium basil leaves or 1/2 cup shredded basil atop the pizza when it comes out of the oven.

†A handful is one of those imprecise measures that says: Use how much you want. More or less of the ingredient is not critical to the recipe’s outcome.
________________
 
Preparation

1. MAKE the pizza dough: Combine 1-3/4 cup flour with the yeast, salt, and sugar. Add the oil and water, i.e. slightly warmer than your body temperature. Mix until the dough starts to form a ball. scraping down the bowl. If the dough is too wet, slowly add more flour. If the dough becomes too dry, slowly add more water.

2. TURN out the dough onto a lightly floured or oiled surface. Knead for a few minutes until it is smooth and elastic. When you poke it, the dough should spring back readily; when you hold the ball of between your palms, it should hold its shape. Lightly oil a clean bowl, place the dough in the bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel. Set aside in a warm place to rise for about an hour, until the dough has doubled in size. While waiting for the dough to rise…

3. MAKE the ratatouille. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spread the tomato paste, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, minced garlic, sliced onion and a dash of red pepper flakes on the bottom of an 8- or 9-inch diameter springform pan. Alternatively, you can cook the ratatouille on top of the rolled-out pizza dough, but the vegetables won’t be as tender or flavorful due to the significantly less cooking time.

Optional cooking method: We steamed the vegetables separately to al dente, and then were able to pick them up with fingers and layer them perfectly, as in the photo.

4. LAYER on top of the tomato paste mixture the zucchini, yellow squash, eggplant and bell pepper, alternating the colors. Start with the inside perimeter and move inward. If you have extra vegetables, save them for a salad, omelet, etc. Drizzle the remaining tablespoon of olive oil over the assembled ratatouille. Season with a dash of salt and pepper and thyme or rosemary. Cover the pan with foil and bake for 45 minutes, increasing the temperature of the oven to as high as possible (450°F or 500°F on most ovens) within the last 5-10 minutes. While the ratatouille is baking…

5. TURN back to the pizza dough. When the first rise is completed, turn out the dough onto a large sheet of lightly floured or oiled parchment paper. Punch out the air and form a disk. Roll out the dough into a circle about 10-12 inches in diameter. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let it rest for about 10 minutes.

6. MIX the ricotta with the garlic, parsley, salt and pepper to taste.

7. REMOVE the finished ratatouille from the oven, uncover the pizza dough and place it on a baking sheet. Par bake the pizza dough for a minute or two and remove it from the oven. If using ricotta, spread it over the crust, followed by the mozzarella. If you prefer, use the mozzarella to top the pizza.

8. RELEASE the springform pan carefully—it can be hot! Use one or two spatulas two to gently slide the ratatouille onto the center of the pizza. If you can do it evenly, great. If not, it will still taste delicious. Lightly brush the exposed pizza crust with olive oil.

9. BAKE the pizza for 8-12 minutes, until the pizza crust is a golden brown. Slice and serve.
 
CRISPER VS. CRISPIER

Many people use the adjective crispier when they mean crisp.

 
It’s a small difference, but a difference nevertheless.