Homemade Sorbets...

Got a new attachment from Santa for Christmas so we made homemade sorbet for new-years eve.

I am using a kitchen aide ice-cream maker attachment to make these.  The recipes are my own to make these and are listed below in the read more section.

Basic syrup recipe

• 2 cups water 
• 2 cups sugar

prep

1. Place in a large pot to boil or it may boil over. Heat the water/sugar over medium heat to make a basic syrup.
2. After the sugar is dissolved  and mixture is thoroughly heated remove from heat. (boil for about 10 mins then cool) makes 3 cups of syrup

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 Citrus sorbet...
Lemon Sorbet

serves 8: 1 small  scoop each  as it is strong as lemon  use a small cookie scoop is the best size.  If you do the modifications below will still serve 8 but normal ice-cream scoop size.

ingredients

• 1 basic syrup recipe  (next time I will double or triple  just this part so 2 or 3  basic syrup recipes this is for for the lime/ lemon/ limon  the others are fine with 1 basic recipe) as it  was just too much of a pucker power for my kids( but me and the husband liked it the way it was but since the kids eat most of it I will make it fit them better.
• 2 cups freshly squeezed Citrus Juice freshly squeezed (we used Lisbon lemons from my grandmother's tree) but any citrus: lemon, limon, lime, orange, tangarine... will work

• 3 teaspoons  Zest from the same fruit as you juiced (I used zest from the above mentioned lemons)

Prep

1. Add both the lemon juice and the  lemon zest to finished basic syrup recipe (1 batch)and chill.
2. After mixture is chilled add to ice-cream maker set speed to stir and pour in sorbet mixture. (about 15 mins in mixer)
3. Freeze for 2 hours before eating.

I could not find my zester so I just put the peels in the blender with the water for the syrup and hit puree  then I just cooked it as for the basic syrup recipe.  But this way is a much stronger flavor so if you want it more mild through it in with the juice not boil with syrup.   But either way will work my was an improvisation from necessity not how I would normally do it. 

The lemon is very tart strong pucker power so if you want it sweeter double or triple  the syrup recipe and do not boil zest.   I will do it that way next time and leave the rest the same.
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Basic fruit sorbet...

Strawberry Blueberry Sorbet  

serves 8: 1 scoop each


ingredients

• 1 basic syrup recipe
• 8 cups  fruit ( I used 4 cups blueberries and 4 cups strawberries since I am out of season I just used frozen berries that I mostly thawed untill soft enough to mash) but fresh would be better and pretty much any fruit can be used the juicier the fruit the better ie. berries, plums, nectarines and so on over such fruits as apples

prep

1. Chop strawberries into small pieces either by using a food processor or a blender (or smash by hand) until pureed
2. Strain juice into a bowl through wire sieve. This will help get rid of the seeds and some of the pulp skins from the blueberries  Chill.  I ended up with about 4 1/2 cups of puree in a glass measuring cup amazing how much it reduced I had about 1 1/2 cups pulp that  can use for jam or some other fruit items like smoothies and such. 
3. Add the mashed fruit mixture to 1 basic syrup recipe and chill.
4. After mixture is chilled add to Ice Cream Maker. Set speed to stir and pour in sorbet mixture. (about 15 - 20 mins in mixer)
5. Freeze for 2 hours before eating.

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both of these are nice to serve with a few fresh mint leaves as decoration and added flavor

Approximately 3 to 4 cups of fruit will make about 2 cups of sorbet.

Store sorbet in a separate freezer ready bowl in the freezer do not store  in the mixing bowl as scooping out of the mixing bowl can damage it.