Strawberry Sorbet

I promised abundance. Mostly because Bruce and I have come home to it. So I thought I'd start celebrating it with an easy sorbet, one Bruce whipped up in no time flat.

If you recall, I gave the run-down on frozen treats here. (And Bruce and I should know, having written this book and this one.) But all those definitions contain exceptions, right? I mean, chefs make buttermilk sorbet these days. It has dairy but it's a sorbet. What gives?

I think it's the lack of eggs and cream. And maybe that does make it a sorbet, even with the dairy. Life's all about trade-offs, right? And compromises. And grace.

Let me repeat that: life needs more grace. It needs more give, bend, flexibility. (And at my advanced age, I know what I'm talking about.) Grace is an old-fashioned word, for sure. Yep, it means Audrey Hepburn, as in graceful. But it also means at peace, as in gracious. But it also seems the very essence of summer. Winter is for Calvinists, grammarians, and other scolds. Summer is for dancers of all sorts, even just those who can dance only in their minds. Like me, who can trip across a flat floor but am addicted to modern dance. Do you watch So You Think You Can Dance? My word, I love that show. I love the grace, even if I can only imagine it in my body.

Anyway, strawberry sorbet. It's summer's grace.

Stir 1 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water in a medium saucepan set over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Turn the heat up a bit and bring the mixture to a boil. Let it boil 30 seconds. Then turn off the heat and cool the sugar syrup for a few minutes.

OK, I have to stop right there. If you want better mouthfeel from your sorbet, you'll add 2 tablespoons light corn syrup to that mixture in the pan. Bruce and I have a difference of opinion on that one. I'll take a slightly icier mouthfeel to keep the food more real. He prefers the corn syrup addition, even though he knows how refined it is. I'd say it's your call. If you're going to be eating the sorbet right out of the machine, then you don't need the corn syrup. If you're going to make it and then keep it in the freezer for later, then you might consider the corn syrup to keep it from getting so icy.

Pour this sugar syrup into a large blender. Add 4 cups hulled, whole strawberries, as well as 1 tablespoon lemon juice and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Set the lid in place, remove the center knob on the lid, put a clean kitchen towel over the top, and blend at high speed until thick and smooth, at least 2 minutes, maybe more. Why take off that center knob? Because otherwise you'll make a weather system in there--and a tornado of spewed strawberry puree will be all over your kitchen. Removing the knob regulates the pressure, but a kitchen towel over the hole keeps the mess to a minimum.

Cover the canister--in other words, put the knob back in the center hole--and set it in the fridge to chill, at least 6 hours, or preferably overnight.

Why? Because the colder the mixture is, the quicker it will freeze in your ice cream machine. And it's not all just about speed. The less it churns, the less air that gets beaten into it--and so the smoother and creamier it will be. This step is crucial for ice cream and gelato, but it's important for sorbet, too.

Now you're ready to freeze it. For the best results, put your ice cream machine's dasher, lid, and other parts in the freezer for 15 minutes so they're very cold. (Again, less air beaten in because the freezing is quicker.) Then put your machine back together and pour in the strawberry mixture. Freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions.

That's about it. I'd suggest digging in. But you might want to save it back in the freezer for a more appropriate time.

And if you do, remember this: ice cream, sorbet, and all the other frozen treats taste better if you let them come slightly back to room temperature, usually by leaving them out on the counter about 15 minutes before serving. The flavors unlock and volatilize a bit, thereby producing a more intense taste. Not as cold, for sure; but it's all about trade-offs. And grace.

Comments

[Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial]

This is a gorgeous recipe! It's winter here, but I have a freezer of frozen berries that this would work wonderfully with...

[Butterpoweredbike]

I was born on a Tuesday. You know the old saying, "Tuesday's child is full of grace..." For the longest time, I couldn't understand how that could apply to me, being that I'm so clumsy, always tripping over my feet and my words. Then one day my Gran instructed, "...not that kind of grace, dear." And so, my journey has been one of learning grace. What does this have to do with food? Everything. In all things, joy, and ease, and forgiveness, and love.

Love the recipes, but I'm so often charmed by your writing, M.

[Sally]

I'd probably omit the corn syrup, but only because I prefer sorbets to be icier. I'm not opposed to using corn syrup, though.

I've eliminated many food items over the last 10-15 years. It's been a gradual process and not even something I planned to do. I'd learn something, it made sense, and something would go. Of course, something else would be added and it was very often something I'd been taught was bad. Butter, anyone?

But I'm not a purist. I aim for 70% (or more) of what I eat to be real food or almost real food and 30% (or less) barely real or not real at all. Some days may be a lot less real than others, but I think it all balances out in the end.

[Mark Scarbrough]

Sally: You are very wise. I think you're percent differentials are a great goal. I'll admit I'm pushing it a bit more than that in the percent department--but then again, I'm the one adding the corn syrup. Give and take, I'd say.

And thanks for your lovely comment the other day about your "further-on" birthday. Do you remember that Charlie Brown cartoon where Lucy asks him if he would like to go back and do his life over? He asks if he could change anything. She says, "No. Everything happens just as it did." And he runs screaming out of the room.

Some days, that's about how I feel. Sometimes, I wish I'd known "back then" what I know now. And then I think: oh my heavens, what an insufferable twenty-something I would have been! We are our foibles. And to that I say, "Thanks be to God."

M.

[Sally]

My percentiles were initially appropriated, but reversed, from Sandra Lee's Semi-Homemade philosophy: 70% ready-made products with 30% fresh food. I thought about 80/20 and even 90/10. But whatever percentages used, it had to work in real life. I don't measure or weigh or anything. I'm just aware that if I want to be healthy, most of what I eat should be real food. In fact, I think real food, more than any specific food, is the secret to good health and longevity that many authors have written about. It's the common denominator foodwise between all the various populations.

I don't remember that cartoon, but what's the point of a do-over if you can't make some changes? I think I mentioned that it hasn't been smooth-sailing since 50. All of the problems are of my own doing. Nothing really big, just a few bad decisions. (That may be the only time I admit that!)