Fresh Strawberry Sorbet

Sorbet is one of the treats of summer – in Minnesota, we can’t find fresh berries that taste of anything at any other time of the year and the cost is prohibitive. Starved as we are for their sweet, floral flavor in our cold, winter wasteland, we’d probably pay anything for fresh berries – if only they were good.

Rather, baskets of Strawberries sit in our produce aisles gaily topped with a single row of red berries peeping out, mocking us – we Minnesotans know that lurking underneath are layers of hard, reddish pink to yellow berries.

Once, I saw a woman empty out multiple baskets right there in the store and fill up one basket, triumphantly, with all red berries, leaving the rest scattered amongst the empty baskets.

Fresh Strawberry Sorbet

I’m not so brave, so I wait until summer to make this refreshing sorbet…and oh, it is worth the wait.

This recipe is like concentrated summer, frozen in a single spoonful, slowly melting on your tongue. This simple little sorbet beats out any grocery store sorbet I’ve ever had at a fraction of the cost. Another bonus for making seasonally? The strawberries are at their lowest prices.

Fresh Strawberry Sorbet

There is a small amount of alcohol in this recipe, and it serves two purposes, so leave it out at your own risk. The flavor you choose will be very noticeable if the sorbet is made after two hours, but left in the fridge for overnight, it does dissipate some.

It complements the flavor of the sorbet, and at it’s best enhances them.
It keeps the sorbet creamy and keeps it from being icy.

This mixture will work in a popsicle mold and will be much denser and freeze harder than the sorbet. As a matter of fact, anytime your ice cream maker won’t hold all the liquid, think popsicles.

Fresh Strawberry Sorbet

Servings: 5 cups
Time: 20 min + freeze
Difficulty: easy
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I’d call this about 6 realistic servings, and gave the nutritional value for six, although most of the recipes I’ve seen would call this 8 servings.

2 pounds of strawberries
1 cup of sugar (may increase if berries are really tart or decrease a little – the sorbet won’t be as creamy if you decrease.)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoon liquor of your choice: Vodka, Grand Marnier, Kirsch all work well. (I’m guessing a peppered Vodka would be really good, and a happy accident when the cupboard was bare and used a little dry Marsala and it was fantastic.

Wash, hull, cut and puree strawberries and work through a sieve to remove seeds. If you don’t mind the seeds, you can skip this step, but it is well worth the extra work. Add rest of ingredients and stir to dissolve sugar. Chill for at least two hours, then freeze according to the instructions on your ice cream maker (usually 20 to 30 minutes.)

Empty into container (having one already in the freezer, chilling, helps to minimize any melt) and freeze for several hours. When ready to serve, set on the counter for about 15 minutes.

Note on the alcohol: While it can be omitted, it helps to keep the sorbet creamy. The final product will have the taste of whatever you use (the taste will dissipate a bit as it sits, but is till quite noticeable) so this is not the place to skimp.

from the kitchen of http://www.frugalhausfrau.com

Let’s talk about how to save money/time on this recipe:

Read {Strategies Applied} for additional tips as well as throughout the recipe, for saving money/time, buying at the best prices and managing this recipe on a budget.
Follow my 12 Strategies – You’ll see them on the upper drop down menu of every page and how I apply them, below.
Don’t get discouraged if your prices don’t match mine! Keep shopping at the best prices and your fridge/freezer and pantry will be stocked with sales priced ingredients.
Use a coupon matching site! One of my favorites in my area is Pocket Your Dollars, but every store has a group of enthusiastic Coupon Matchers. Do not discount the savings! I check their site every week, even if I don’t “need” to go to the store and often find bargains I can’t pass up.

Nutrition:

Calories 178; cal fr fat 3.8 (2 percent) tot fat .46g; sat fat 0; chol 0; sod 1.87mg; tot carb 45.11g; fib 3.03g; sug 40.72g; prot 1.02g

Notice that although naturally low in fat, this sorbet packs a heavy carb load.

Kitchen & Cooking Hack:

If I were there while you were making this, I’d be looking over your shoulder and saying, “Are you gonna waste that?” referring to the hulls and seeds. Add that to a pitcher, pour in water, add a tea bag if you wish, and place in your fridge overnight. Strain the next day and enjoy. I call this “spa water.”