Thursday, September 1, 2011

Watermelon Sorbet (without an ice cream maker!)



As we approach the 60 something'th day of over 100 degree heat here in Texas, there are few things left that we can do to cool off. Cooking and cleaning in our underwear, taking cold showers, leaving the house ONLY when necessary, and making sorbet!

I had no intention of making this delicious treat until I learned a very necessary rule in grocery shopping: stick with a store you trust, instead of looking to save a buck. Last week I bought a watermelon at Central Market, it was insanely perfect and we devoured it in about an hour. Two days later I ran into Tom Thumb and saw watermelons on sale (about 30 cents cheaper than CM), so I of course bought one. It was fug nasty. No flavor and grainy texture. I felt so abused!

I decided to turn my anger into something magical. Because my dad grew up in the Great Depression, (well the 1930s but still...) I was raised to NEVER waste food. So began my watermelon disaster journey.

This recipe requires no ice cream maker, no shaking of a plastic bag for a half an hour, or having to stir up your mix in the freezer every 30 minutes. It is so simple and so insanely good.

Ingredients:

1 "personal sized" watermelon or 1/2 of a full melon cubed
1/4 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of agave nectar (you can sub sugar if you like)
Zest and juice of two limes (or lemons, depending on the taste profile you desire)
Pinch of salt

In batches, puree the watermelon in a blender.



Strain.



In a large saucepan over medium heat, bring 1 cup watermelon puree, lime zest/juice and sugar to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Season with salt. Pour in remaining watermelon puree and add agave nectar, whisking until evenly blended.

Pour the mix into a metal cake pan and freeze overnight.



The following day, take your frozen watermelon, puree and blend it one last magical time. This final blend will break up all of the ice crystals to create a smooth consistency. Pour sorbet back into the pan, cover and freeze 3-4 hours. Enjoy the sorbet (clothing optional Texans).