Brazil is a beautiful and culturally rich destination beloved by travelers worldwide. To visit is to fall in love with the people, the sights and the flavors, and while we can’t bring the citizens and the beachside mountains to your door, we can at least help you capture the taste of Brazil with the below recipe for jabuticaba sorbet.

Jabuticaba is the edible fruit of the Brazilian grape tree, and this recipe is a favorite of Saiko Izawa, award-winning executive pastry chef of Blaise restaurant in the Rosewood São Paulo luxury hotel.

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“This cool summer dessert is made from a native fruit of the Atlantic Forest called jabuticaba,” Izawa says. “The velvety sorbet, infused with the juice of jabuticaba, offers a refreshing balance of sweet and tart on the palate. Delicate jabuticaba pearls, bursting with intense flavor, add a whimsical touch.”

If you can’t find jabuticaba juice anywhere, chef Izawa says you can substitute it with muscadine grapes, which have a similar flavor. It’s worth seeking the real thing, though, to bring to life an exciting flavor that tastes like summer in São Paulo, because who doesn’t want that?

Jabuticaba Sorbet With Tapioca Pearls

Ingredients:

Sorbet

• 600ml unsweetened jabuticaba juice
• 3 to 4 medium-sized bananas
• 30 ml of lemon juice

Tapioca Pearls

• 50g of tapioca (sago)
• 150ml of jabuticaba juice
• 75g of sugar
• 15 ml lemon juice

Directions:

Sorbet

1. Peel and slice the bananas into small pieces.
2. Place the sliced bananas in a single layer on a parchment-lined tray or plate. Freeze them for at least 4 hours or until completely frozen.

Tapioca Pearls

1. In a medium-sized pot, bring water to a boil.
2. Add the sago pearls to the boiling water and cook them until they become transparent, stirring occasionally. This should take around 10 to 15 minutes, but cooking time may vary,
3. so check the package instructions for guidance.
4. Once the sago pearls are cooked, remove the pot from heat and drain the pearls in a fine-mesh sieve or colander.
5. Rinse the cooked sago pearls thoroughly under cold running water to remove excess starch and prevent them from sticking together.
6. In another saucepan, combine the jabuticaba juice and sugar. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves completely.
7. Add the cooked sago pearls to the hot jabuticaba juice and sugar mixture, stirring gently to coat the pearls. Let it cool down to room temperature, then stir in the lemon juice.
8. Transfer the mixture to the refrigerator and let it chill until you’re ready to serve.

Assemble

1. Take the frozen banana slices out of the freezer.
2. In a blender, blend the frozen banana slices until smooth and creamy.
3. Add the unsweetened jabuticaba juice and lemon juice to the blender with the banana cream. Blend everything together until well combined into a smooth sorbet.
4. Transfer the sorbet mixture to a lidded container and place it in the freezer for at least 6 hours or until firm.

To Serve

1. Once the sorbet has set, scoop the desired amount of sorbet into serving bowls or glasses.
2. Take the prepared tapioca pearls out of the fridge.
3. Spoon a generous amount of the jabuticaba tapioca pearls on top of the sorbet in each bowl or glass.
4. You can garnish with some fresh berries or mint leaves if desired.
5. Serve the Jabuticaba Sorbet with Tapioca Pearls immediately, and enjoy!

Visit Blaise at Rosewood São Paulo in Brazil and online, and follow chef Izawa on Instagram for more delicious dishes and inspiration.