Lemon Sorbet

The weather here in Britain is, at this particular moment, ridiculously warm; it’s so warm that I feel somewhat oppressed. Still, one mustn’t give up and resign oneself to inactivity; the weather won’t last too much longer, so something must be done. For instance, this lemon sorbet has an immediate cooling and refreshing effect which is simply ideal for such tropical conditions. I apologise for making it sound like some form of dermatological medicine, but fear not – it needn’t be applied liberally to one’s exterior. Simply take a scoop, as often as one can manage, and administer orally… this is one delicious sorbet!

My addiction to the ice cream machine is now complete; ice cream, frozen yoghurt and sorbet have each been tackled. The thing is, is that it makes the whole process so obscenely simple that the temptation to freeze ‘this’, ‘that’ and ‘the other’ is very nearly unbearable. Honestly, if you haven’t already, go out and purchase your very own machine – it’s sure to save you money in the long run. That is, unless you don’t particularly enjoy frozen desserts of any kind, in which case this recipe probably isn’t for you and you’ve just left 90% of the civilised world dumbfounded.

Everyone appears to have their own ideas about how lemon sorbet should be made and taste. Some don’t like it to be too zingy, some add egg white for a little more texture and some include the zest etc… As with most things, I tend to go down the middle with the simplest, purest version of the food in question; it should contain no egg, since it is superfluous and may actually detrat from the taste, and it should have all the punch and flavour available – only then will one have achieved sorbet perfection. Though, if you do decide to disagree with these ideals, one may reduce the amount of zest included and/or increase the amount of water used in relation to the amount of syrup. On with the recipe, enjoy!

Lemon Sorbet

Makes roughly 800ml

Ingredients:

• 200g sugar

• 200ml water

• 7 lemons

Method:

1. Most lemon sorbet recipes start with a syrup, this one will be no different. Add the sugar to 200ml of boiling water, allow it to dissolve. Remove from the heat and pour in the juice of 7 lemons and the zest. The amount of zest to be added depends on how strong you want the flavour – I used the zest of 5 lemons, make sure it is very finely chopped. Leave to cool in the fridge.

2. Once the syrup is cooled pour it into a measuring jug and top up with water to around 800ml. Taste it, if it’s to your liking leave it and freeze it according to your ice cream machine’s instructions. If the taste is a little too strong or a little too weak for you adjust it with more lemon juice or more water. Defrost gently in the fridge before eating.

Cost: Lemons are extremely inexpensive at this time of year – I got enough fruit for this for £1, which is very cheap. Since it is also an extremely simple recipe it is a very cost effective way of enjoying sorbet. Indeed, the entire batch should set one back no more than around £1.30!