Keeping Cool with Sorbet Making

I'm not sure about you, but the last week or so has been torturously hot.  As in, stay inside the apartment with the shades drawn, making a pro/con list entitled "Reasons to Move to Alaska."
But I decided that while practicing the fine art of hermit-hood mixed with a little escapism is one way of solving the problem, there are other ways to stay cool.  Such as ICE CREAM.  Except, I have a minor milk allergy.  Normally I can eat a serving or so a day, but I knew I'd be eating more than that in this heat.  Which led me to SORBET.  So I took a trip to Target for needed materials, recruited a friend, and followed these steps:


1. Bring a mixture of equal parts sugar and water to a boil over medium-high heat.  (I went with 2 cups of both.)  Once you reach a boil, reduce the heat and let the mixture simmer for 3 minutes, until all of the sugar dissolves.

Ooohh, ahhhh, the dissolving in action.

2. Quarter two containers of strawberries and place them in the blender, along with 2 containers of raspberries and the juice of 1 lime.  Blend into a puree.








Sub-step 2: Make loud noises of frustration and consult owner's manual when brand new blender container won't seem to snap into base.  Find nothing helpful in owner's manual.  Continue to wiggle container around.  Consider giving up and going to Forever Yogurt. (Best frozen yogurt place around.) Imagine the sweaty journey to Forever Yogurt, and persevere through sorbet-making task.  Resume regular scheduled programming once container FINALLY snaps in.  (I have a college degree, I promise.)


3. Pour strawberry/raspberry puree through strainer to remove seeds.  This will by far be the most tedious part of the sorbet-making (provided your blender doesn't have a diva moment, as mine did) but keep your eyes on the prize to find the strength to continue smashing the puree through the strainer!

4. Wait until the simple syrup solution is COMPLETELY cool.  I'm going to be honest with you, kids--I tried to make sorbet a few weeks ago, before heading to a picnic/concert at a park.  Because I only had about 2 hours to make the sorbet, I waited until the simple syrup was pretty much, kinda, sorta cool.  What I got in return was a sorbet mixture that never turned into sorbet. An unrealized liquidy mess, and a very sad me. Ahh, the universe--always teaching me the importance of patience.  So in conclusion, COMPLETELY cool!

Sub-step 4. In an effort to allow COMPLETELY cool to occur, place simple syrup in fridge and head outside to take some pictures!

Enduring the heat and crazy Cubs fans made getting to finally eat the sorbet THAT much better.  No pain, no gain.

5. Once the simple syrup is COMPLETELY cool (have I made that clear enough?) add it to the strawberry/raspberry puree, and add 1/2 cup of light corn syrup.  Pour the sorbet mixture into your ice cream maker (I have and love the ice cream attachment for the KitchenAid mixer) and mix until sorbet is formed!  This mixture took about 15 minutes before it became the right consistency.

6. Scoop into bowls and ENJOY the fruits of your labor!

I really enjoyed how this sorbet tasted exactly like fresh strawberries, with a hint of raspberry. I think I'm going to start doing some experimenting to find some more crazy flavors that will work--my brother suggested cherry limeade!  And don't worry, I'm not ACTUALLY moving to Alaska--I've made too many Sarah Palin jokes for them to let me stay there, anyways.