Photos by Valerie
The other day, it was just me and a big bowl of Meyer lemons. It was raining. It was cold. My husband was on a business trip to New Orleans sending me picture after picture of amazing meal after amazing meal. I came this close to having a pity party as I sulked in my sauvignon blanc— I know, I know, time to stop your boo-hoo-hooing, Val.
So I decided to make some fun of my own. I knotted my bar apron, pulled out a fresh a batch of Meyer lemon sorbet, recruited my trusty taste testers (they don’t call it the Valerie Vortex for nothin’) and this delicious little Lemon Bomb was born.
You really don’t need to be intimidated by making ice cream, gelato or sorbet. All you need is an ice cream maker and some quality ingredients to make knock-your-socks-off frozen sweets. Actually, fresh sorbet is a great way to use up extra fruit and impress your guests. It may seem like a big process, but trust me it’s totally easy. Read your recipe carefully and just follow the steps. And always store your ice cream insert in the freezer — then it’s ready for you anytime you need it.
If you want to feel fancy, buy a stash of those pint sized paper ice cream containers. I find mine and the so not fancy, but kind of fabulous, Smart and Final.
Meyer Lemon Sorbetto
Adapted from a recipe found in Making Artisan Gelato by Torrance Kopfer
Zest of three Meyer lemons
1 1/3 cups of sugar
2 3/4 cups water
1 1/2 cup lemon juice
Place the lemon zest and the sugar in a bowl of a food processer and pulse until it yields fine bits of lemon zest. The mixture will slightly clumpy due to the moisture from the lemon zest. Transfer to a clean bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside for thirty minutes to intensify the flavor.
Place the water, lemon juice and sugar mixture in a medium-sized heavy bottomed saucepan over medium heat and stir until the sugar dissolves. Once the sugar dissolves completely remove from heat and set aside to cool for about one hour. Next, strain mixture with a fine mesh strainer, pour into a clean container and chill in the refrigerator until cool or for up to 8 hours (if it’s more — that’s fine). When it’s ready, pour the chilled mixture into the ice-cream maker and chill according to the manufacturer’s specification.
Remove from the ice cream maker once it’s the desired consistency and store in a container of choice.
To make a Lemon Bomb:
Scoop a small ball or two of sorbet into the prettiest cocktail glass you can find (I used shallow champagne glasses), fresh lemon zest and a shot of your best vodka.
This time of year the Meyer lemon fruit is ripe for picking and the flowers smell divine.
