Green apple shiso ice

.Inspired by "The herbal kitchen" by Jerry Traunfeld

The ice is made with Granny Smith Apple and shiso leaves and some Meyer lemon juice and sugar, quite a combination. And the topping of apple and shiso leaves is definitely a must.  It was really easy to make and delishious ... definitely a keep and many encore this summer.

Ingredients:
4 servings
- 2 Granny Smith apples, about 1 lb, unpeeled, cored and diced, plus another half for garnish/topping
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 6 large green shiso leaves, plus one cut into thin strands for garnish

Preparation:
1. Put the water and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat, stir constantly until the syrup starts to boil. Let it cool completely.
2. Core the apple and dice (unpeeled). Cut up the shiso pleaves (pic 2)
3. Puree the diced apple, shiso leaves and syrup in a blender (not a food processor) on high speed until they are liquefied. (pic 3)
4. Pour the puree into a a fne sive set over ablowl, and press the liquid through with the back of a rubber spatula, squeezing the pulp to extract as much liquid as possible. Immediately freeze the liquid in an ice cream maker. When slushy firm, scoop it into a contianer and store it in the freezer until serving time, This will give more of a sorbet tesxture.
5. Alternatively, just pour the liquid into a flat container and  freeze. Every hour or so take it out and mush it  up with a fork for a granita texture.Do so a couple of times or more if you are more patient :-)
6. Scoop the sorbet or granita into glasses and top with thin strips of raw crisp apple and a few strands of shiso and serve immediately.