August 25, 2010 was a very special day in our lives. Very special. I remember everything so clearly. The blue skies, birds chirping, bright sun shining its rays down on us… the knock on the door by the delivery guy. I will never forget that day – the day that our ice cream maker arrived at our doorstep. I remember feeling excited – I would finally be able to make a dessert that Seth would love. He never had much of a sweet tooth, except when it came to ice cream. And I felt powerful – the ability to make this sweet treat was now in my control – take that milk and cream! Of course, once I realized I would have to wait a day to make ice cream, because the bowl of the ice cream maker has to be chilled, I was super disappointed. Ever since its initiation by freezer, however, it has been one of the most beloved appliances in our kitchen. I can’t even remember what life was like without it. Our most recent concoction is this strawberry lime basil sherbet. I wanted to take this fruit salad, whose flavors worked so well together, and make it into a cold ice cream treat. It tastes fruity, yet unique, and is just perfect for summer.
Ingredients
½ cup sugar
¼ cup water
1/2 cup chopped basil
1 quart strawberries, hulled and chopped
3 cups milk
3 -4 tablespoons lime juice
1 ½ teaspoon lime zest
Instructions
To make the basil syrup: Place sugar, water, and basil in small pot. Gently boil until the sugar has dissolved, about 8 minutes. Take off heat and strain out the basil. Chill.
To make the sherbet: Use a blender (I used my trusty immersion blender) to puree the strawberries, milk, basil syrup, lime juice, and lime zest together. Churn in ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s directions. I find that this doesn’t freeze particularly well, so if you do freeze it, you may want to take out the sherbet 20 minutes before you serve.
