Tarragon Whip Recipe

Make a quick strawberry purée

Place hulled strawberries into a blender or food processor. Add 2 tablespoons sugar and 2 tablespoons water. Purée until completely smooth, about 30–45 seconds. Pass the purée through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl to remove seeds and achieve a silky texture, pressing with a spatula. You should end up with roughly 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups strained purée.

Sweeten and flavor

Whisk the grapefruit juice, remaining 1 tablespoon sugar, lemon juice, chopped tarragon, and a pinch of salt into the strained strawberry purée until sugar dissolves and flavors are evenly distributed. Taste and adjust: add a touch more sugar if too tart or an extra 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice if it needs brightness.

Chill and freeze

Cover the mixture and refrigerate until very cold, at least 1 hour (or up to 4 hours). Churn in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions until sorbet is soft-set, about 20–30 minutes. If you don't have an ice cream maker: pour into a shallow metal pan, freeze 45 minutes, then vigorously scrape with a fork to break up ice crystals every 30 minutes until smooth (about 3 cycles).

Firm up

Transfer sorbet to a freezer-safe container, smooth the top, cover, and freeze at least 2 hours to reach scoopable firmness. Remove from freezer 5–10 minutes before serving to soften slightly.

Prepare tools

Line a small baking dish (6x6 inch or similar) with parchment paper leaving an overhang for easy removal. Have a candy thermometer ready or use an instant-read thermometer.

Toast and crush fennel seeds

In a small dry skillet over medium heat, toast fennel seeds until fragrant, about 1–2 minutes. Smash lightly with the flat side of a knife or in a mortar and pestle; set aside.

Cook the sugar mixture

In a heavy-bottomed small saucepan combine granulated sugar, light corn syrup, and 3 tablespoons butter. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently until sugar fully dissolves and mixture begins to simmer. Clip on the candy thermometer and continue cooking without stirring (you can swirl pan occasionally) until the mixture reaches 235–240°F (soft-ball stage) — about 7–10 minutes depending on heat.

Finish the fudge

Remove the pan from heat. Carefully stir in heavy cream, toasted crushed fennel seeds, chopped fennel fronds, vanilla extract, and sea salt. Mixture will bubble and steam—mix vigorously until glossy and slightly thickened, about 30–45 seconds. If it looks too loose, return to very low heat 10–20 seconds, stirring, but avoid overheating.

Set and slice

Pour the hot fudge into the prepared parchment-lined dish and smooth the top. Let cool at room temperature until just warm, then refrigerate until firm but still pliable, about 30–45 minutes. Use the parchment overhang to lift the set fudge out and slice into small rectangles or chop into irregular pieces ~1/2-inch to 3/4-inch toffee shards. Keep refrigerated until assembly; bring to cool room temperature for a few minutes before serving so pieces are not rock-hard.

Spoon or scoop two small quenelles (or two 1/2-cup scoops) of strawberry–grapefruit sorbet into chilled bowls or dessert glasses.

Scatter 3–4 small pieces of fennel fudge atop and around the sorbet for texture and aniseed contrast. Sprinkle the extra crushed fennel seeds lightly over the sorbet and fudge.

Garnish each serving with a fresh tarragon sprig. Serve immediately so sorbet retains texture; provide a small spoon for enjoying shards of fudge with each bite.