A dish I can’t forget: raspberry and piquillo pepper sorbet

I didn’t really know what to expect of Poissonniere Kennedy – a chef friend and Marseille local was insisting on taking me there when I visited, even though she hadn’t eaten there herself yet, as it had been open less than two weeks. I usually obsess over where I’m going to eat, poring over Instagram, Google reviews and restaurant websites, but I’d decided to totally relinquish control, putting all my faith in the hands of my friend.

The fish cooking was obviously flawless, with whole grilled fish so plump with collagen that they slid across your plate after being carved. However, it’s the dessert – that the waiter twisted my arm into ordering – that I will never forget. A raspberry and piquillo pepper sorbet. I’d always considered dessert something that should be an instant hit – I don’t love to be challenged at the end of a meal, and every dessert on the list looked like it needed some level of mental gymnastics that I definitely was not capable of (including a chocolate mousse with a burnt aubergine cream).

This sorbet made me question my entire dessert belief system. I love it when a dish is able to reveal something totally new to me about the ingredients used, and this sorbet told me so much about raspberries that I’d never considered: how peppery they are, the slight spice of their sharpness and how much more savoury they are in comparison to a pepper. I’ll never look at one the same way again…

Helen Graham is the author of Centrepiece (Octopus, £28). Buy a copy for £25.20 from observershop.co.uk