Frozen Treats Week #4: Sorbetto di limone

Squeezing lemons 

is hard work

 for a four year old....

but I totally did it!

Sorbetto di Limone (aka Lemon Sherbet)

Adapted from Jamie's Italy

Serves 6

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

1 cup lemon juice (we used about 8 lemons)

zest of 1 lemon

1 heaping tablespoon mascarpone

Prefreeze a shallow 8-10 inch container.

Put the sugar and water into a pan and bring to a boil, then turn the heat down and continue to simmer for 5 minutes.  Once the liquid is clear and syrupy, remove it from the heat and allow it to cool for 15 minutes, then add the lemon juice and zest.  Next, add the mascarpone and stir until totally combined.  It's very important that you give it a taste at this point.  It all depends on the sourness of your lemons, and it's very hard to give an exact recipe that is going to hit it right on the head - all I can say is that the amount of sugar I have suggested should do the job.  If, on the other hand it's so sour that it makes your face totally curl up, you know you need to add a little more sugar until it softens the lemon juice.

Pour into your pre-frozen dish and return it to the freezer - leave it for at least an hour before you check it.  If it has started to freeze, fork it up a bit.  Do this maybe every hour or so for the next 3 hours, after which it will be ready to eat.  It can now be kept for a couple of days in the freezer, with plastic wrap over the top - any longer and it will start to get ice crystals in it.  Always a real treat served on its own in a bowl or glass, but also wicked served with whizzed up raspberries -like a fresh sauce - poured over the top.

Notes/Results:  Jamie's lemon sherbet is tart and refreshing, making a terrific light summertime treat and also a great palate cleanser.  This recipe makes 6 teensy weensy servings, but you really wouldn't want to eat much more than a small scoop because it's fairly tart.  In fact, we love lemon, but next time I would probably add a bit more sugar to help balance out the tartness of all the lemon.  This version ended up being a little too tart for the kids (which is a shame since Jackson worked so hard), but my husband and I really enjoyed it.

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