Monday, May 4, 2009

Meyer Lemon Sorbet

After hearing about Meyer lemons and never seeing them, I had concluded they were simply beyond my grasp. All of the foodies on the coasts were going nuts about them, and all I had were the normal yellow lemons. Then last week I was shopping at Publix and spotted them. Shaped like a lemon but colored like an orange. I double-checked the sign...Meyer lemons! I let them be since I had absolutely no plans for them, and I try to stick to my grocery list. But this week, I made a beeline for them, nearly pushing aside the guy restocking the produce on Saturday morning. He saw me reach for them and asked, "Do those taste more like a lemon or more like an orange?" I admitted that I didn't really know from personal experience but that I was going to use them to make SORBET. I don't think he was as excited as I was.

This sorbet is exactly what I crave after dinner -- something sweet but flavorful enough that I don't need a lot of it. In fact, a few spoonfuls of this sorbet satisfies me because the flavor is so unique. It's slightly sour but sweet. It's unlike anything I've ever tasted before. And Joe is crazy about it as well!

Meyer Lemon Sorbet
source: Simply Recipes

Ingredients

1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 cup Meyer lemon juice (3-4 lemons)
2 tsp zest from lemons

Preparation

1. In a small saucepan on medium high heat, make a simple syrup by heating sugar and water until the sugar has completely dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool. Mix in the lemon juice and zest. Chill, either in the refrigerator, or by placing in a metal bowl over an ice bath.

2. Once the mixture has thoroughly chilled, freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. If you don't have an ice cream maker, you can pour the mixture into a shallow pan and freeze in your freezer until semi-solid. Then take a fork and fluff it up, returning it the the freezer to freeze firm. Then put in a food-processor or blender to process until smooth.
Place sorbet in an airtight container and freeze until ready to serve.

3. Scoop out preferably with a melon-baller. Garnish with mint. Makes 2 1/2 cups.