Meyer Lemon Sorbet

Did You Know? Legend has it that the Roman emperor Nero used to send his slaves scurrying to the mountains to collect snow and ice to make flavored ices, the precursors to ice cream, in the first century.

I was so excited to try this recipe out. My ice cream maker attachment just came in the mail, and this was my first shot at homemade ice cream...well sorbet actually, but you get the idea. I assembled all of the individual parts, and made the lemon/syrup mixture early in the day, and just stuck it in the fridge to chill for a while. Then when my Dad came home from work, I had him set up the actual ice cream maker, so all I had to do was pour the juice into the machine. I was too lazy to read the instructions, so I just decided waiting for someone else to would be better. So for all you "do ahead of time" people, this recipe is perfect.

It couldn't have been any easier. I was so surprised at how quickly and effortlessly homemade sorbet comes together. A perfect excuse to make this frozen treat all the time. I can't wait to try out some real ice cream and frozen yogurt recipes. The possibilities for mix-ins seem endless. I would love to hear some of your favorite concoctions.

As for the sorbet? It was really tasty, but very strong. I recommend this for the lemon lovers in your life. I might leave out the zest the next time I make something like this, but all of that aside, it really was good. I would definately make this again, if not only for the feelings of warm, Summer months it brought with every spoonful. The texture was so smooth, and the flavor was tart, sweet, and refreshing all at once. I imagine you could substitute any fruit juice here with excellent results, but going with our lemon kick, I went for the Meyer.

Meyer Lemon Sorbet
1 cup water
2 tablespoons Meyer lemon zest (about 2 - 3 lemons)
2 cups Meyer lemon juice (about 10 lemons, some you zested)
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup limoncello (vodka is ok to substitute)

Place water, zest and sugar into small saucepan and bring to a boil. Let boil for one minute and then remove from heat.

Pour lemon juice through a chinois or sieve to remove the seeds and pulp. Add 1/3 cup of limoncello to the juice and place in an ice bath to chill. Pour cooled zest and sugar mixture through chinois or sieve, and into the ice bath with the juice. Stir to mix and chill mixture in the ice bath (or freezer) until less than 45° F. Pour into ice cream maker and freeze according to your maker's instructions.

Once chilled, remove the sorbet from the ice cream maker and place in an odor-free container. Chill the container of sorbet for several hours in the freezer. Because of the alcohol, it will always be a tiny bit soft (which I love).

...REMINDER...

Don't forget to send me your links for all those lemon recipes you have stashed away! I've already received so many, and I can't wait to show you all. Thanks again to everyone who has participated, and if you don't know what I'm talking about, read the end of this post.