Nothing screams TEXAS SUMMER like a fresh sorbet. I was 10 or so when I first discovered my parent’s ice cream maker and ever since then, sorbets have been my go-to chilly treat. It’s easy to make and always super refreshing. Plus, it’s perfect for all my vegan, non-dairy, and gluten-free friends out there!
This recipe was inspired by a fantastic lemon sorbet I had on my families first trip to New York City. We were out for lunch in Greenwich Village and stumbled across these adorable lemons filled to the brim with sorbet in a freezer stuffed in the corner of Faicco’s Pork Store. All four of us got one each and within minutes of finishing the first round we were walking back to Faicco’s to buy a second.
This recipe is best if you have a citrus juicer and an ice cream machine, but fear not! Look out for the #FoodieTips along the way for shortcuts and tricks.
Here’s what you’ll need…
- 1 3/4 cups of water
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 cups lemon juice (8-10 large lemons)
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest (about the zest from 2 lemons)
Let’s get started…
Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Boil until the sugar completely dissolves, about 1 minute after pot begins to boil. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
While cooling, juice and zest your lemons. If you want to use the lemons as serving containers, you’ll want to cut the lemons in half and juice out the insides using a citrus juicer. If you don’t have one on hand, use whatever tool you have! Serving in lemons is not a requirement – but is very cute.
Once sugar water mixture (AKA simple syrup) is cooled, stir in the lemon juice and lemon zest.
#FoodieTip: If you’re using an ice cream machine, for best results, cool your sorbet base for 2-3 hours. This will help attain that italian ice-like texture we’re looking for in the final product.
Pour cooled sorbet base into ice cream maker and churn according to manufactures instructions. Typically around 20 minutes.
#FoodieTip: Don’t have an ice cream maker? Simply pour into a freezer safe container, like a metal bread pan, and freeze for 4 hours until firm. This will create a more icy texture and eliminate some of the silkiness that comes from churning with the machine, but at the end of the day you’ve still got lemon sorbet!
Once sorbet has frozen into an italian-ice like texture, transfer to a storage container or your juiced lemon halves, and freeze until ready to serve.
#FoodieTip: If your sorbet is still loose and not in a more frozen state after 25-30 minutes of churning, your base or ice cream bowl may not have been chilled long enough. If you’d prefer a thicker texture, you can pour your base into a container to cool in fridge, re-freeze your ice cream bowl, and try again in 24 hours.
Noah Hutchinson 