Sorbet is a beautiful and delicious alternative to ice cream or sherbet. It contains no dairy or eggs, so it’s suitable for anyone with dietary restrictions. It’s just like making ice cream, maybe easier, and your choice of ingredients is limited only by what fruits are in season or in your freezer. There are standard commercial varieties available, but you can have more fun making up your own non-standard flavours!
Step One
Boil the water, sugar and salt together for five minutes to make a simple syrup. Chill.
Step Two
Prepare your fresh fruit. Spray it with lemon juice, if necessary, to keep it from browning while you work.
Step Three
Pulverise the fruit in a food processor or blender, mash it, or chop it finely. Run it through a sieve or colander if desired.
Step Four
Combine the fruit puree with the simple syrup. Start with half the syrup and then taste as you go. You don't want the sweetness to overwhelm the fruit flavour. Add a bit of lemon juice to perk up the fruit flavour. Remember that frozen foods are harder for the mouth to taste, so you may want to exaggerate the flavours a bit.
Step Five
If you are using an ice cream machine you'll need to chill the sweetened puree for several hours. If not, pour the puree into a lidded container and put it in the freezer.
Step Six
If using an ice cream maker, follow your machine's instructions. If not, stir the freezing puree hourly to break up the large ice crystals. Freeze until it reaches the consistency you like.