Raspberry Sorbet

Fresh raspberry sorbet is always delicious...even better if it's made with equally fresh berries. Unfortunately, in the middle of February, fresh raspberries are pretty thin on the ground, and pricey in store. So, for this recipe from The Food Network, I used frozen raspberries from our own garden, added some crystallized mint leaves, and sat back and waited for a hot summer day. 

This recipe says it makes 4-6 servings, or 2 quarts. And, because I used frozen berries, my measurements were a bit off. By my calculations I used one and a half freezer bags which, in normal speak, is about 4 to 5 cups. Also, I don't keep a lot of limes running around so I used lemon juice instead.

Ingredients
2 cups sugar
2 cups water
2 quarts raspberries, hulled and sliced
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/2 cup white corn syrup

Directions
Boil the sugar and water in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Turn the heat down and let it simmer for a few minutes, at least 3. Set it aside to cool completely....and make sure it's all the way cold, I put the pan in a bowl of ice if I don't have a lot of time to wait around...or the ice cream maker won't freeze everything properly. 

Puree the raspberries and lime (or lemon) juice in a food processor (or blender). If you like your raspberry flavor nice and strong then this is the process to stick to. BUT if you prefer it a little less tart, you can always go through the work of straining the berries first, to get rid of the seeds before pureeing. Which ever way you prefer, when everything is smooth, press the puree through the a strainer to remove any seeds or blemishes or rock or dirt....or whatever ends up in your raspberries. Whenever your syrup (the sugar water mixture) is nice and cool, add it to the berries. Finally, add the corn syrup and stir it all together.  

Pour the lot into an ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer's instructions. It'll seem quite soft even when it should be finished, more so than actual ice cream. But no worries! It'll firm up when it freezes. 

This is a spectacularly delicious dessert for any dinner, but especially following a large meal as it's nice and light, and looks nice with some mint and maybe a fresh berry or two.