Lime-basil sorbet

Way back in the distant past... 2009 to be exact... Dr. Ricky and I prepared a gigantic feast for our friends in San Diego. Between courses of sea urchin and gailan, we palate cleansed, leading to the quote of the evening:

"I could cleanse my palate all night!"

Well, we had a pretty meat-heavy menu here on New Year's Eve, (and the author of the above quote was a return guest), so we decided to serve another palate cleanser. A wee serving of lime-basil sorbet.

I modified the recipe from a citrus sorbet in The Perfect Scoop:

2¼ cups water
¾ cup sugar
zest of 2 limes
¾ cup freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tbsp vodka
1 large bunch fresh basil

Combine the water, sugar, and zest in a pot. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Crunch up the basil bunch to break the leaves, then toss into the pot. Cover the pot and remove from heat, allowing it to cool over an hour or so.

Add the fresh-squeezed lime juice and vodka, and pass the syrup through a fine sieve. Reserve the syrup in the fridge covered, overnight. I also placed small shot glasses on a tray, and set them in the freezer overnight.



The next day, run the syrup through your ice cream maker. With the KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker that means that you chill the ice cream maker in the freezer for two days, then add the syrup to the ice cream maker while it is mixing at low speed.

Churn for 10-30 minutes, until it reaches a desired consistency. Scoop the sorbet into the frozen shot glasses, cover, and chill in the freezer covered for at least 12 hours before serving.



When you serve, treat this as a light palate cleanser between heavy, flavourful courses. The bright acidity of it will reset your guests' palates, readying them for more.


By Bbq Dude