Fresh Fruit Minestrone with Mascarpone Pear Sorbet

To make the sorbet, bring the milk, heavy cream, corn syrup, lemon juice, and sugar to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer for five minutes. Remove from heat and let cool for ten minutes.

In a separate pan, place the sliced pear and ½ cup water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, then let simmer for 5-8 minutes until the pear softens (add more water if necessary). Transfer to a blender and whizz for one minute; set aside.

In another bowl, mix together the mascarpone cheese and sour cream. Slowly whisk the milk mixture into the cheese mixture, then add the blended pears. Strain through a fine sieve into a large bowl. Cover and chill in the fridge for at 1-2 hours.

Transfer ingredients to an ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer’s directions for making ice cream/sorbet.( I used a KitchenAid ice cream maker, placing the ingredients into a frozen bowl, then placing the machine on ‘stir’ for 35 minutes until the mixture thickened. Then I transferred the ingredients to the freezer for several hours to harden the sorbet).

For the strawberry sauce base, remove the stems from the strawberries and slice into quarters.

Combine 3/4 cup water and 3/4 cup sugar into a small saucepan. Bring briefly to boil, then reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes until the sugar dissolves and mixture thickens. Add the strawberries and continue to cook the mixture for another 5 minutes or so, until the fruit softens. Let cool for a few minutes- transfer to a blender and process for one minute. Transfer the mixture back to the saucepan, add the tonic water (or club soda) and bottled ‘smoothie’ or mango juice. Stir and continue heating for several minutes; pass the ingredients through a fine sieve. The mixture should be ‘soup-like’ but not too runny. Adjust sweetness and texture of the soup as desired.

Peel your selected fruit and chop into 'brunoise' (small cubes). To serve, place the fruit on the bottom of a serving bowl, pour the strawberry sauce on top, then add a serving of the mascarpone sorbet on top.