Orange Sorbet

Continuing with the fresh sorbet its Orange Sorbet from a very sweet dwarf Navel Orange tree I planted a while back. I don't get that many orange to keep as racoons routinely break into my yard and scarf them down.  *frown face*  This year I managed to beat the little rascals and harvest a few for juice, eating and of course this sorbet.

The one thing I noticed is that the zest of the orange tends to congregate along the paddle edges of the ice cream maker.  Be sure to take that zest and fold it into the sorbet for maximum flavor prior to your serving it, and before putting into freezer if you aren't consuming right away.

Now that I have nailed the sorbet formula its time to look at making some new varieties.  Basil Lemon, Orange Mint are a couple of flavor profiles that work and could be fun.  Stay tuned for those options.

Orange Sorbet

• 1 1/2 c sugar
• 1 1/2 c water
• 1 1/2 c fresh squeezed orange juice
• 1 1/2 T orange zest

Combine water and sugar in small sauce pan.  Bring to boil and stir constantly until the mixture is complete dissolved.  Cover and cool to room temperature.

Add the simple syrup to the orange juice and zest.  Refrigerate 2-3 hours or over night until well chilled.  Add to your ice cream maker and chill according to you manufacturer directions, about 20 minutes.

Meyer Lemon Sorbet

Whew...its lemon season around here.  More precisely meyer lemons from a very VERY prolific little tree.  After the limoncello making and lemon bars what else is there to do with them?  Meyer Lemon Sorbet.

Why did I plant Meyer Lemon instead of the more garden variety Ponderosa or similar?  Primarily tis about taste.  The Meyer Lemon is softer and has a mild floral taste to it compared to the regular lemons you find in the groc.  Certainly well worth hunting down if you don't have a Meyer Lemon tree.

Sorbets are wonderfully easy, simple syrup, juice and zest and into an ice cream maker and voila its sorbet.  Stupid easy and a lot lighter than say ice cream that is full of well, cream and eggs.

Do remember it is easier to juice a zested lemon than trying to zest a lemon that is all limp and malformed as a result of being juiced.

Meyer Lemon Sorbet

• 1 1/2 c water
• 1 1/2 c sugar
• 1 1/2 c meyer lemon juice
• 1 1/2 T meyer lemon zest

Combine water and sugar in small sauce pan.  Stir and bring to a boil.  Boil a minute or two to ensure the sugar is completely dissolved.  Cool to room temperature.

Add the cooled syrup to the juice and lemon zest.  Refrigerate at least 2-3 hours to chill well (overnight is ideal).  Add to your ice cream maker and mix according to your manufacturers directions.  My machine is a Cuisinart and it takes about 20 minutes to creat a slushy Sorbet.  Serve right out of the ice cream maker, or spoon into a freezer container and freeze solid if you like a firmer sorbet.