NEW RSS feed! | Mon 08.18.08 |
Honeydew and Basil Sorbet |
I've been on a bit of a melon binge lately.
Since moving from Texas, I've had to make an adjustment in my food shopping/cooking since now I don't have four other housemates to eat all of the food I buy and prepare at home. Case in point: a week ago there was a sale on honeydew melons at the store, so I picked up two without thinking much of it. I cut up one for snacking on and for a melon salad with Thai basil and nuoc mam pha, a Vietnamese condiment of fish sauce, lime juice, chili paste, sugar and water (just toss the melon and basil with the sauce - it's really good). With my old roommates, I'd expect us to finish this in one night and move on to the other melon a day or two later. But with the smaller household here there were plenty of salad-ed and unsalad-ed leftovers for the next day (and the next, and next), a situation compounded by a series of work-related luncheons which meant I wouldn't be bringing lunch from home.
Which is all to say how the other melon sat on the counter day after day until yesterday, when I, having finished all the leftovers and then taken a day's break from all this melon-eating, decided to have a go at it again. Sick of melon chunks, I thought about candying some, but it was hot and at the last minute I decided to fuck that idea and just make some sorbet.
For those like me without an ice cream machine, there is a really easy way to make sorbet. You just make a syrup, add it to pureed fruit, pour this onto a sheet pan and throw it in the freezer. The syrup, in addition to sweetening the puree (you do need to sweeten it, as it will taste less sweet when served really cold), keeps it from freezing as hard. The next day, just scrape/break up the frozen sorbet with a fork and serve it up with an ice cream scoop.
The syrup is also the best place to add other flavors. This time I added some lime peel to the syrup and then steeped some Thai basil (more leftovers from the aforementioned melon salad) in it once it was off the heat. The herbal note of the basil adds to the refreshing aspect of the mild sorbet; you could get a similar effect with something like mint, lemon thyme or lemon yerbena.
Honeydew and Basil Sorbet
Half of a honeydew melon, seeds and rind removed, and cut into chunks
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup water
1 lime
1 large handful basil stems and leaves
Begin by making the syrup: Combine the sugar and water in a saucepot and over high heat. Add the zest and the juice of the lime to the pot, and bring this to a boil for a minute, until the syrup runs off a spoon in a steady ribbon. Remove this from the heat and throw in the basil.
While the syrup cools, puree the melon chunks with a food processor or blender. Strain the syrup, add it to the puree, and then pour this into a sheet pan. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and throw it in the freezer. Chill for about 8 hours/overnight.
Once frozen, scrape/break up the sorbet with a fork and use an ice cream scoop to serve it up.
Half of a honeydew melon, seeds and rind removed, and cut into chunks
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup water
1 lime
1 large handful basil stems and leaves
Begin by making the syrup: Combine the sugar and water in a saucepot and over high heat. Add the zest and the juice of the lime to the pot, and bring this to a boil for a minute, until the syrup runs off a spoon in a steady ribbon. Remove this from the heat and throw in the basil.
While the syrup cools, puree the melon chunks with a food processor or blender. Strain the syrup, add it to the puree, and then pour this into a sheet pan. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and throw it in the freezer. Chill for about 8 hours/overnight.
Once frozen, scrape/break up the sorbet with a fork and use an ice cream scoop to serve it up.
