Tomato Sorbet

Line a large colander with a layer of cheesecloth and set it over a bowl. In a medium bowl, toss half of the tomatoes with the salt and transfer to the colander. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or preferably overnight.

Remove the colander from the bowl and reserve 3/4 cup of the tomato water; save the remaining tomato water for another use.

Working in batches, puree the remaining 5 pounds of tomatoes with the bell pepper in a blender until very smooth. Strain through a fine sieve into a large saucepan; discard the solids. Stir in the wine, tarragon, basil and crushed red pepper and cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until the puree is reduced to 4 cups, 35 to 40 minutes.

In a small saucepan, bring the sugar, corn syrup and water to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Remove from the heat and stir into the tomato puree along with the lemon juice, white pepper and the reserved tomato water. Strain into a pitcher and discard the solids. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold, at least 4 hours.

Pour the sorbet base into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions, until the sorbet is set but not rock hard, about 25 minutes. Serve.