Fruit Compote Sherbet

Ingredients:

- 3 large pomegranates
- ½ cup sugar, divided
- 4 cups water, divided
- 2 large quinces
- 3 cloves
- 1 stick cinnamon
- 2 large tart apples

Directions:

Break the pomegranates into halves, then divide them into small sections. Remove the seeds into a bowl, working with fingertips and separating them from the skin and membrane. Reserve half of the seeds. Put the remaining ones in a non-corroding bowl, place it in the kitchen sink, and crush the seeds with one hand. Put the mixture through a sieve and let stand at least 2 hours for the sediment to settle. Then strain through a cheesecloth-lined sieve and chill.

Dissolve 1¼4 cup sugar in 2 cups water in a saucepan. Peel the quinces and quarter them, cutting each piece into 3 or 4 slices. Remove the cores and hard centers, put them in the syrup with quince seeds, cloves and cinnamon, cover and cook slowly until the fruit is tender. Remove the quinces from the syrup and reduce the syrup to 1 cup. Remove from heat and strain. Put the quinces in the reduced syrup in a bowl, cover and chill.

Peel the apples, quarter them, then cut each piece into 3 or 4 slices and remove the cores. Cook them in a syrup made with 2 cups water and 1¼4 cup sugar until they are tender and translucent. Remove the apples from the syrup and reduce the syrup to 1 cup. Put the apples in the syrup, cover and chill in a bowl. When you are ready to serve, remove the pieces of fruit from the syrup and arrange them in serving bowls. Mix in the pomegranate seeds. Pour over the fruit a little of the apple and quince syrup and all of the pomegranate juice.

Serve sprinkled with shaved ice.