Meyer lemon Sorbet

I’ve never tried meyer lemons before – but they are always popping up on food blogs over the wintertime.  A few weeks ago – on impulse - I  decided to buy a bag at my grocery store, not sure exactly what to do with them. 

They are a mix between a lemon and mandarin orange – so they are tart and sweet.   Well, I couldn’t pass up the idea of making a dessert with them.  I have always been a fan of lemon ice – it is super refreshing and soothing to the taste palate.  This meyer lemon sorbet was exactly that – cool and refreshing – and just sweet enough.

Now, if only it was the middle of Summer and not Spring (but really still Winter-like temperatures) – I would enjoy this even more.    

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups water, divided
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 (meyer) lemons, preferably unsprayed
• 1 cup freshly squeezed (meyer) lemon juice (from about 6-8 lemons)

Directions

1. In a medium non-reactive saucepan combine 1/2 cup of the water and the sugar.  Grate the zest of the 2 lemons directly into the saucepan.  Heat, stirring frequently, until the sugar is completely dissolved. 

2. Remove from the heat and add the remaining 2 cups of water.  Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator.

3. Stir the lemon juice into the sugar syrup.

4. Freeze the mixture in your ice cream mixture according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Source: adapted from David Lebovitz – The Perfect Scoop

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Watermelon Sorbetto

There is nothing more refreshing than cool sorbet on a really hot summer day.  I had an entire watermelon for just the two of us – so I wanted to try to make something with part of it.  And this was the perfect choice – so cool and refreshing!   My husband went into the freezer to get some and asked me “why I left the seeds in it?”  I played along and told him that I was just following the recipe.  It wasn’t until he started eating it that he realized the ‘seeds’ are actually mini chocolate chips :)    Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 3 lbs. watermelon, seeded and cubed
• 1/2 cup sugar
• pinch of salt
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• 2 tbsp vodka
• 2 tbsp mini chocolate chips

Directions

1. Purée the watermelon in a food processor or blender. Run the watermelon purée through a fine mesh strainer. Measure out 3 cups of watermelon juice.

2. In a small saucepan, heat approximately 1/2 cup of the watermelon juice along with the sugar and salt until the sugar has thoroughly dissolved. Remove from the heat.

3. Combine the watermelon juice in the saucepan with the other watermelon juice and place in a medium sized bowl. Stir in the lime juice and vodka.

4. Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator.

5. Freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s directions. During the last minute of freezing, pour in the chocolate chips.

6. Remove from the ice cream maker’s bowl and place in a container. Place the container in the freezer to finish freezing.

Source: The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz

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