Lemon Sorbet and My New Ice Cream Machine

I've been thinking about buying an ice cream freezer for ages but just kept putting it off for all the usual reasons:  where would I put it, do I need it, and most important, would I use it.  I looked at a large display yesterday morning in the local kitchen shop and even had one in my hands to take up to the register, but my good sense won out and I put it back in the display and left to run more errands. As I was dashing around Costco I couldn't resist a quick run down the small appliance aisle and you will never believe what I found - my coveted ice cream maker for much less than what the kitchen shop charged and a promotion that included two of the ice cream freezer bowls instead of the one that I would have gotten if I had bought the freezer earlier in the day.  So my point in telling you this story is that, if you have the thought that you need an ice cream freezer for summer, now is the time to buy it.  I can't believe my good fortune and that, for once, my indecision paid off.

When my children were little we had an old fashioned, hand crank wood ice cream freezer that required two people to make it work properly.  One had to sit on the freezer so it would stay in one place, and one had to do the cranking.  Everyone had to take a turn at the crank if they wanted ice cream, and it was a giant pain at the time, but the memories now are sweet and we talk about that hand cranked treat with deep fondness. My new little counter size freezer is perfect now and I can't wait to make some of the fantastic recipes for ice cream that I'm starting to see on my favorite blogs.

A little recipe booklet came with the freezer and this is my adaptation of their lemon sorbet.  I added some Lemoncello to the mixture (so delicious) but it kept the sorbet very soft (the reason for the slightly melted appearance in the photo) and I will add less next time. I was hoping for a photo that did justice to this scrumptious sorbet, but it wasn't meant to be.  It melted too fast and I had to eat it.  Come to think of it, this would be great served in a cocktail glass with a little straw.  I'm sure this would freeze perfectly if you left the Lemoncello out altogether.  But who wants to do that!

Fresh Lemon Sorbet

2 cups water

1-1/2 cups sugar

1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest

1/2 cup Lemoncello (what can I say, I like it)  1/4 cup would probably do it.

Combine the sugar and water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low and simmer without stirring until the sugar dissolves.  Cool and add lemon juice, zest and Lemoncello.  Refrigerate until very cold, at least an hour.  Turn the freezer on and pour the lemon mixture through the ingredient spout and mix until thickened, about 25-30 minutes.  Transfer the frozen sorbet to an airtight container and freeze several hours or overnight.

I know that most of you are old hands at making ice creams, sorbets and frozen yogurt, but it's new to me and I'm excited.  I'm thinking of all the fresh fruits that will be in the market soon and how much my family likes frozen desserts.  With two freezer bowls I'll be ready to make ice cream at a moments notice. So, if an ice cream freezer is on your want list, check out this great deal at Costco.