Monday 12 July 2010

Smooth Homemade Lime Sorbet (Without An Ice Cream Maker)

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The perfect zesty lift to zing you up and cool you down this sweltering summer, the following recipe is ludicrously easy and just requires some patience and time as you freeze-blend-refreeze several times. The end result though, is well worth the wait- a smooth, soft, tart, beautifully refreshing sorbet made WITHOUT a special ice cream machine, guaranteed to impress! :)

One whisked egg white makes all the difference, the essential ingredient that gives this frozen dessert the body and silkiness it needs.

Make at least 12 hours before you intend to eat it- if it seems too hard, leave at room temperature for 5 mins before scooping. Serve immediately as it melts rapidly.



Smooth Homemade Lime Sorbet (Without An Ice Cream Maker)
Makes about 1 litre

Stir together and dissolve over medium heat to form a thin sugar syrup:
500ml (2 cups) water
250g sugar

Let cool, then stir in the juice and zest of 6 large limes.

In a separate large bowl with an electric mixer, whisk 1 large egg white until a stiff meringue (ensure the bowl and whisk are clean and dry). Pour in the lime syrup liquid and continue whisking until the egg whites are incorporated (they may float to the top- don't worry as you will be stirring it again once frozen).

Chuck into a container and put in the freezer. After about 3 hours, scrape down the frozen sides and stir thoroughly with a metal spoon. Refreeze for another 3 hours.

Remove and pour the entire contents into a juice blender (an electric whisk doesn't make it smooth enough in my opinion). Blend until very smooth- depending on your blender, you may need to do it in small batches or use a spoon to push down the sides to get the icy mixture moving (be careful not to touch the moving blades). Pour back into the container and freeze until firm.

Scoop and decorate with lime zest or some mint leaves if desired. Eat immediately.

35 comments:

  1. I love making ice cream without an ice-cream maker, who needs one right? This looks great! I should really learn how to make sorbet seeing as I can't eat too much dairy.

    If only it was Summer over in New Zealand :(

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  2. Delicious! Love the refreshing lime taste.

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  3. thanks Le and Lori, I think you can eat sorbet whatever the season, think of it as a thirst quencher :)

    x

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  4. I used your recipe to make a green tea sorbet, as well as lime, lemon and orange. Thanks!

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  5. Love it! I'm going to try! Thanks!

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  6. Hi Sam, I bought lemons intending to make this cos I thought it was lemon sorbet instead of lime. I read this recipe sometime ago. Love your brownie, siu yoke, hainan chic rice recipe. Gonna try the chiffon cake recipe after the sorbet. Approx how many cups of juice & tablespoons of rind 6 big limes produce? Thanks! :)

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  7. Hi guys, thanks!:)

    Anonymous- glad my recipes are working for you! I don't measure my juice and rind, I would say if your lemons are large to use 5 instead of 6 and it should be about right? Let me know how it goes!:)

    x
    Sam

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  8. Wow this ice cream looks amazing! And I love your whole blog! Please check out my blog: http://sweeetcooker.blogspot.com/
    I was also wondering if you wouldn't mind mentioning me on your blog? If you want I could mention you on my blog as well. It would me a lot to me because I don't have many followers or supporters.
    Thank you, Maddie

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    Replies
    1. Hey Maddie,

      Thanks for visiting my blog! I don't really endorse or mention anyone unless I use a recipe from there, but don't worry you will build up followers over time if you keep it up and keep blogging good recipes:)

      Happy cooking!

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  9. I tried this but it was too sweet and too bitter at the same time! many other recipes on the internet suggest just 1tbspn of zest i should have tried this first. remember the flavours intensify upon freezing!- i didnt :(
    good recipe though :)

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  10. Aww sorry to hear it didn't work out! Did you make sure to avoid the white pith and use only the green part of the rind? It's the white bit that's bitter, and I probably should have mentioned that. No matter owns much green rind you use it shouldn't turn bitter, only more sour and tangy (which pairs of well with the sweetness).

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  11. This recipe is JUST what I need for Christmas Eve! Thank you!

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  12. Can't wait to try with limes from my tree!!!

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  13. Hi Sam, thanks for the recipe. I have made it with a litre of water (not too sweet) and 1 lemon instead of lime. 2 lemons should taste better. Will try lime next time.

    Not difficult to do and it went well.

    Thanks a lot!

    Shirley

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  14. How much should this recipe have made? Mine onlyade about one cup or so and is too sweet. It is still sticky after freezing all night also. I assume my syrup was too thick?

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    Replies
    1. Hi Katie, the recipe calls for 2 cups of water, so you should get around 2 cups of thin syrup (you just have to boil it til the sugar grains are no longer visible, doesn't take very long).

      Hope that helps!

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  15. how much sugar is that in cups/ounces? Looks like a yummy recipe!

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  16. 200g sugar =1 cup, so 250g= 1 1/4 cups or almost 9 ounces :)

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  17. is there a way to make this without the egg? This seems like something that all of my family would love but most of us are vegan so egg whites are out, is there a good alternative that works for this recipe that you, or any other readers out there, know of?

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    Replies
    1. Hmm that's a tough one. The whipped egg whites are there as a stabiliser and to create a smooth and creamy texture... I think if you use a liquid sweetener like honey, or add a bit of cornstarch, you may be able to replicate the smoothness? You can also experiment with adding a bit of coconut milk, which will change this to a lime-coconut ice cream instead of a sorbet of course, but it will provide fat which will help make it creamy.

      Failing that, just keep blending it periodically to ensure it doesn't get all grainy with ice crystals.

      Hope that helps!

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  18. Hi Sam, I realised the egg white isn't cooked in this recipe, or have I missed something? Not sure if it's safe to eat uncooked egg white. Is there a substitute for the egg white? Thanks in advance!

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    Replies
    1. Yes the egg white is raw, all my ice cream recipes use raw eggs (some others the yolks too). It is a common practice and is generally safe to eat:)

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  19. Any ideas for using stevie rather than sugar?

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  20. Replies
    1. Sorry have never done it with stevia. Not a huge fan of artificial sweeteners, but feel free to experiment and let me know how it turns out :)

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  21. Thanks for sharing your recipe...tried it and my guests loved it! Will definitely experiment with different flavors!

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  22. For more precision, how much lime juice should "6 large limes" yield?

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    1. I just measured with a large lime in my kitchen, which yielded a little over 3 tbsp (45 ml) of juice. So 6 limes is approximately 270 ml I guess, or 1 cup and a bit?

      It doesn't have to be that precise in this recipe :)

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  23. tried this a few years ago for a dinner party and it was fantastic - using it as a cleanser between courses!
    doing another party tomorrow night so back again for more!
    thank you :-)

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  24. Hi Sam, how long can the sorbet be kept in the freezer for before it has to be eaten?

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  25. Hi Sam, how long can the sorbet be kept in the freezer for before it has to be eaten?

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