Friday, May 29, 2015
Prepare yourself for another sorbet because it’s a doozy.
This past week I made Lemon Thyme Sorbet from the Coolhaus Ice Cream Book by Natasha Case
and Freya Estreller. It is both
incredibly sweet and incredibly sour and makes you shiver and pucks your face
with every bite. It’s also cool and
refreshing and wonderful to come home to after a long walk in the hot afternoon
sun. The lemon flavors reminds you of
ice cold glasses of lemonade when you were a kid, and the tart, slightly bitter
taste of thyme wakes you up and revitalizes you after the sun’s merciless
heat. It’s a wonderful summer recipe.
However, before I get started with the recipe, I have to
warn you that I needed to make a substitution.
The original recipe calls for lemon thyme, which is a type of thyme
that, you guessed it, smells and tastes like lemon. It’s a good addition for many dishes,
especially poultry, because it adds a bit of lemon without overpowering the
other flavors. Unfortunately, I have no
idea where to find it. I went to four
different grocery stores, including two specialty ones, and couldn’t find it
fresh or dried. Instead, I substituted
plain old thyme. The substitution
doesn’t seem to have hurt the recipe, but if you can find lemon thyme, I’d
recommend you give it a go.
Now on to the recipe.
Ingredients
- 2 cups granulated sugar (though I recommend 1 ½ -- it’s really sweet)
- 10 springs fresh (lemon) thyme
- 2 cups lemon juice (grate zest first)
- Zest of one lemon
- 2 ½ cups water
Directions
- In a 4-quart saucepan, combine sugar, thyme, and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook just until sugar dissolves. Let cool to room temperature, and then strain syrup through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl.
- Add lemon juice and ½ cup water to lemon thyme syrup.
- Process in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions. Add lemon zest in the last few minutes of churning, just before sorbet comes out of machine.
- Scrape into an airtight storage container. Freeze for a minimum of 2 hours before serving.
This would be a great little sorbet to serve in paper cups
or cones while waiting for the barbecue to finish. It has this surprising hit of thyme at the
beginning that’s quickly chased by a shot of lemon. The back of your tongue will burn
afterwards. And while it may not be a
great choice for kids (who are notoriously picky), it’s sure to be a hit with
adults – especially if you add a splash of alcohol like vodka. My only caution is 1) if you add the alcohol,
do so in the last 2 minutes of churning and 2) make sure you only add 1 ½ cups
of sugar. This sorbet is already about a
tablespoon away from being too sweet.
Enjoy!
Overview
- Base prep time: 1 hour
- Base chill time: N/A
- Sorbet set time: at least 2 hours
- Taste: initial bitter taste of thyme followed by sweet and tart lemon flavor
- Difficulty level: low
- Expense level: low
- Makes: approximately 4 cups
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