Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Meyer Lemon Drop Sorbet

This is a very adult sorbet, meant to be served as an after dinner treat at an over twenty-one table. The unmistakable Meyer lemon flavor explodes from each tiny ice crystal. Crystals so fine that they ensure a smooth and creamy mouth feel with every bite. It will also make your mouth pucker, your tongue do a happy dance and your head spin.

Since the day I read on David's blog that alcohol will keep ice cream from turning into a brick in the freezer, my mind has been spinning on its own with the idea of cocktails as sorbet. And I just happened to have had a few cubes of Meyer lemon juice left in my freezer . . .

Yesterday I took a look in my ice cream book, the one not written by David (sorry) and there was a recipe for Lemon Drop Sorbet - already taken. Drat! Well, I'd already figured out my recipe, so I stole the egg white idea, thinking they must know something I didn't, and went ahead anyway.

Here you go: My version of Lemon Drop Sorbet. Don't say I didn't warn you.


Christine's Meyer Lemon Drop Sorbet
with an egg white from The Ultimate Ice Cream Book
Ingredients:
2 cups water
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon Splenda sugar blend (or 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar if preferred)

1 egg white
3/4 cup Meyer lemon juice
2 tablespoons Triple Sec
1/2 cup vodka
Preparation:
In a medium saucepan, bring the water and sugar to a boil, whisking to dissolve the sugar. Allow to boil for about 1 minute, then remove from the heat and cool for about 6 minutes.
In a separate bowl, beat the egg white until it's quite foamy. I used a hand-held mixer.
With the mixer on, slowly pour the sugar water into the egg white and beat until it is all combined.
Add the Meyer lemon juice and the Triple Sec and whisk until blended.
Pour into a glass container and put in the fridge until it becomes very, very cold.
Just before processing in your ice cream maker, stir the vodka into the mixture until completely blended.
When processed according to your machine's directions, spoon the sorbet into a container with a tightly fitting lid and freeze for several hours before serving in demi-tasse cups or tiny liqueur glasses.

Cook's Notes:
> Note to self: Of an evening, when you make a sorbet that has 1/2 cup of vodka in it, to say nothing of the shot of Triple Sec, do not eat the subject after the photo shoot the next morning. Put the sorbet back into its container and wait for dinnertime. Dummy!
> If you don't have Meyer lemon juice, you can use regular but may have to use a bit more sugar.
> This sorbet was very tart, the way I like it, but more sugar may be added to soften the acidity.
> As I mentioned above, the use of 1/2 cup of vodka in the recipe is to keep the sorbet from freezing rock hard. You could cut the amount to 1/4 cup, in keeping with a lemon drop cocktail taste, and the sorbet will get a bit harder but your head won't spin quite so much.




Copyright © 2005-2008, Christine Cooks. All rights reserved

6 comments:

  1. Very nice, again, and lovely photos.

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  2. Now that is such a wonderful note to self!! Right on Christine!
    I'm sure the sorbet was divine - 1/2 c vodka . . .

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  3. I finally found out what a Meyer Lemon is.... Now I'm really jealous!
    Have a wee nap after breakfast?

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  4. Thank you Simona.

    It was divine, Tanna.

    No nap, Katie. Just a headache. :)

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  5. Wonderful! OK, think of the possibilities: Cosmos sorbet, mojito sorbet.......

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  6. That's so funny Sher. I've been noodling on a mojito sorbet. And I'll definitely lower the alcohol content next time. I'm such a wuss when it comes to the hard stuff.

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