Strawberry Sherbet

So much has happened over the last month, and I began this post in an attempt to describe it all. As I started to list the highlights, I decided that all these very exciting changes in my life deserve more attention than a mere bullet leading up to an ice cream recipe. Over the next few weeks, I promise to share more of our new house, neighborhood, and food adventures.

But for now, I am going to start off summer with a recipe for strawberry sherbet made with ripe local strawberries, which are beautiful and abundant this time of year. The two baskets I picked up from Shenot Farm Market in Wexford last weekend were bright red, juicy, and perfect for this sherbet. 

The recipe is also super simple, adapted from David Lebovitz’s recipe for raspberry sherbet in his ice cream book, The Perfect Scoop. I knew I wanted something lighter than an ice cream made with egg yolks, but creamier than a sorbet – and this recipe certainly fits the bill. I replaced a quarter of the milk in David’s recipe with cream for added richness and reduced the sugar since the strawberries would be sweeter than tart raspberries. 

Voila - sherbet! It is a perfect treat on a warm, early summer day, meant to be enjoyed on the porch!

For the rest of this month, I hope to not only share with you my favorite parts of our new home as we start painting and decorating, but also a few fruit-centric desserts for summer. What sweets do you crave when the weather warms up?  

Strawberry Sherbet

Makes about 1 quart

1 lb ripe strawberries, washed, dried and hulled

¾ cups sugar

1½ teaspoons fresh squeezed lemon juice

1½ cups whole milk

½ cup heavy cream

Combine the strawberries, sugar, lemon juice and milk in a blender and blend until smooth. Add the cream and pulse just to combine (you do not want to whip the cream).

Pour the mixture through a mesh strainer into a bowl to remove the seeds. Chill the mixture for at least one hour.

Freeze the mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. I used the Kitchen Aid stand mixer accessory, with the bowl frozen for 24 hours prior to use. My sherbet was nicely frozen after about 15-20 minutes of churning.

Transfer the sherbet to plastic containers and store in the freezer.  Remove the container from the freezer about 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

(Recipe adapted The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz)