LEMON BASIL SORBET

This lemon basil sorbet was inspired by week 26 of our Food Matters Project. Jennifer from Simple & Amazing was our host that week and she chose Mark Bittman's recipe for Raspberry Cabernet Sorbet.  I wanted to use what was growing in the garden so I made Lemon Basil Sorbet. Lemon and basil are a great pairing. I hollowed out the lemons for cute little serving bowls. This makes a refreshing dessert or a perfect palate cleanser between courses.

This is a wild card Monday for our Food Matters Project, and we can make a recipe that we missed. I made this for week 26 but had some challenges. I used an ice cream maker and it wasn't cold enough so I had slush. That wasn't too much of a problem because I knew it would freeze in the freezer. The next day it was really frozen...so I took it out to take the picture and write the post but-someone-put my carefully hollowed out lemon bowls down the GARBAGE DISPOSAL!!!!!!!!!

That's okay. I got to make them this week :)

 Check out what the other members made that week here. You can find the original recipe on Jennifer's blog here.

And if you are interested in our members wild card delights click here.

LEMON BASIL SORBET

Makes about 5 cups

3 cups water

2 cups granulated sugar

2 TBSP. lemon zest, divided

1 1/2 cups packed fresh basil (if a stronger basil flavor is wanted, use 2 cups)

pinch of salt

3 cups fresh lemon juice

Prepare a lemon simple syrup with the water, sugar and 1 1/2 TBSP. of the lemon zest by combining all three in a medium saucepan set over medium-low heat. Cook mixture until the sugar is fully dissolved. Remove from heat.

Once the simple syrup is ready, add the basil and salt. Let the mixture steep for 30 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice. Cover and refrigerate 2-3 hours or overnight.

Strain the chilled mixture through a fine mesh strainer. In an ice cream maker, pour the mixture into the frozen freezer bowl and let mix until thickened, about 15-20 minutes. When the sorbet is almost done, add the reserved zest through the opening on top of the ice cream maker and let churn until combined. The sorbet will have a soft, creamy texture. If a firmer consistency is desired, transfer the sorbet to an airtight container and place in freezer for about 2 hours. Remove from freezer about 15 minutes before serving.

Recipe from the Cuisinart Recipe Booklet.