Pineapple & cilantro "not-quite-sorbet"

One of my favorite desserts; the combination of flavors might sound a little daunting, but they actually complement each other nicely. Give it a try and you might be pleasantly surprised.

Or, you might begin uncontrollably projectile vomiting on your dressed-up dinner company.

Either way, I'm pleased!

Required Items:
- Medium saucepan
- Medium bowl
- Blender or fine-bladed food processor
- Shallow pan/casserole dish/cake tin/etc

Syrup Ingredients:
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup water

Other Ingredients:
- 1 cup vanilla ice cream
- 1 cup fresh-squeezed pineapple juice
- 1 cups pureed pineapple
- Approximately 1-3 tbsp very finely chopped fresh cilantro
- Lemon juice

Optional:
- Whipped cream
- Approximately 3 tbsp rum or vodka (choose by flavor preference) --OR-- approximately 6 tbsp champagne.
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Syrup Preparation -
Combine water and sugar in a medium-sized saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once all sugar crystals have completely dissolved, remove from heat and pour into a bowl for later use. Let cool completely (to room temperature) before using. Cover and place the syrup in the refrigerator to speed up the cooling process, if desired.

The rest -
Combine fruit juice and fruit puree in blender.
Add cooled syrup to the mix slowly, blending 2-3 seconds before tasting; the mixture will lose some sweetness after it freezes, so you should adjust the taste now to be just slightly sweeter than you prefer.
Add 1-2 tsp lemon juice to taste in the same manner, if desired (if you enjoy a slightly bitter citrus taste to round out the sweetness of the pineapple).
Add alcohol to the mixture, if desired. (Note: adding alcohol tends to lend a much smoother texture to your finished product, but is by no means necessary - the taste, however, (especially of a dry champagne with this particular dish), can be quite satisfying for those of you who drink alcohol.
Blend finished mixture for another 30 seconds.
Pour into a shallow pan and place, uncovered, in the freezer.
After the mixture has frozen completely, use a knife or fork to break it up into chunks; then, re-blend the chunks of ice until they are uniformly smooth, and place it back in the pan and back into the freezer. Repeat 2-3 times if possible, or at least until you are ready to serve.

To serve:
Break up any ice in the mixture; combine mixture, ice cream, cilantro (to taste, start with ~1 tsp), and re-blend for 30-60 seconds or until all ingredients are evenly mixed and the consistency is smooth. For the sake of presentation, serve in a smaller (6-8oz) glass or bowl and top with a sprig of cilantro and a dab of whipped cream if desired.

Enjoy!