Do you think I planned to make the Lime Basil Sorbet this week when I saw the weather report? You bet I did! 95-100 degree weather begs for this kind of relief. And I am going to use it 2 ways this week to get the full bang for the buck….it’s just a few bucks to make this so it’s really a bang for the bucks in terms of fun!
Ice cream and sorbet are so easy to make! I like to whip them up and store them in the freezer for when those moments of inspiration hit. You can do more than just scoop it into a bowl. I had one of those moments recently so watch for Friday’s cocktail to see what I did.
Let’s get freezing!
In a saucepan, bring the water and sugar to a boil over medium-high heat. Simmer for 1 minute, then remove from heat and allow simple syrup to cool.
Two simple ingredients that will tickle your taste buds!
While the simple syrup is cooling, zest your key limes. I really like this type of small microplane for zesting. It’s razor-sharp so be careful to just zest the lime and not your finger!
Add the simple syrup mixture, basil leaves and lime juice to a blender.
Puree the mixture until well-blended.
Time to separate those that are going to the freezer party and those that aren’t! I toss back a little bit of basil for color and stir in the lime zest.
Pour your beautiful green liquid speckled with zesty friends into your ice cream maker. You can also pour into popsicle forms and freeze.
I never can resist looking in to see the liquid transform to slushy lusciousness! It’s magic every time!
Scoop into a storage container and freeze until firm enough to scoop.
**If you don’t have an ice cream maker, you can pour the mixture into a long shallow container and freeze. Remove every half hour or so for a few hours, and use a fork to scrap up the mixture so that it is fluffy. Place back in the freezer after each scraping. It will be more like a granita than a sorbet but still very tasty!
- 2 1/2 cups water
- 2 cups basil leaves, gently packed * see Note
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup fresh key lime juice
- 2 Tbsp. lime zest
- In a saucepan, bring the water and sugar to a boil over medium-high heat. Simmer for 1 minute, then remove from heat and allow simple syrup to cool.
- Add the simple syrup mixture, basil leaves and lime juice to a blender. Puree the mixture until well-blended.
- Pour through fine-meshed strainer and stir in the lime zest. Refrigerate for 1 hour until chilled.
- Freeze in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions until slushy-firm. Scoop into a storage container and freeze until firm enough to scoop.
- **If you don’t have an ice cream maker, you can pour the mixture into a long shallow container and freeze. Remove every half hour or so for a few hours, and use a fork to scrap up the mixture so that it is fluffy. Place back in the freezer after each scraping. It will be more like a granita than a sorbet but still very tasty! You can also pour into popsicle forms and freeze.
- *I prefer my sorbet to be a pale green color so that the lime zest shows up but if you want your sorbet to be a vivid green color then blanch your basil leaves before adding them to the blender. Make an ice bath in a large bowl and set aside. Place the basil leaves in another bowl and pour boiling water over them and let them sit for about 5-10 seconds. Quickly drain them and place in ice water. This will maintain their beautiful vivid green color!
