Back a few years ago, my sister gave me an ice cream maker for Christmas. We were both low carbing at the time and I used it quite a bit to make some sugar free ice creams, which weren’t as available then as they are now. It has been sitting in the spare room for a awhile, but this year, I seem to be inspired to use it more.
This is the ice cream maker that I have: Cuisinart ICE-21 Frozen Yogurt-Ice Cream & Sorbet Maker. It makes a quart and half per batch, which is about how much a carton from the store contains. [It used to be a half gallon, but ice cream, like everything thing else is downsized]
I have learned that it is best for me to return the canister back to freezer as soon as it is cleaned out and dry, because otherwise, when I want to make ice cream, I have to wait 24 hours for the thing to freeze. I just stick it in a grocery bag, and tie up the handles so it stays clean and doesn’t get all frosted inside.
I’ve been acquiring rhubarb plants here and there for the last few years, and I have probably 4 different kinds now. Some are the traditional thick, mostly green stems, and others are more slender and bright red. The flavor and sweetness vary, which is why I like having more than one kind.
Strawberry and rhubarb are a classic flavor combo for a very good reason – they compliment one another perfectly, creating a sweet, tart refreshing blend. And sherbet is the perfect vehicle for those flavors – creamy, but still very fruity.
You can push the fruit mixture through a mesh strainer before chilling, but I preferred the texture when I left the strawberry seeds in – it’s your call though.
- 4 cups fruit - cut into fairly thin slices
- 1 & ⅓ cups sugar
- ¾ cup water
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- juice of 2 limes
- 2 tablespoons vodka
- ⅔ cup greek yogurt [any fat content you prefer] or half & half
- I evenly divided the fruit, so that I had 2 cups of each, but you can vary the combination how ever you like.
- Place the rhubarb in a large saucepan, along with the sugar and water. Simmer for about 10 minutes.
- Add the strawberries and simmer 5 minutes more.
- Stir in the salt, and allow the mixture to cool slightly.
- Use and immersion blender, regular blender, food processor or what have you to make the mixture smooth.
- Stir in the lime juice and vodka, if using, and then whisk in the dairy. You can vary the fat content by what you use: non-fat to full fat yogurt to half and half, or a combination. The less fat you use, the more icy it will be, because fat doesn't freeze as solidly as the fruit does.
- Chill the mixture in the fridge for several hours or overnight.
- Process according to your ice cream maker's directions.
- Immediately scrape the sherbet into a freezer container, and put in the freezer to ripen [freeze completely]
Even more so than with ice cream, sherbet benefits from about 10 minutes out of the freezer before serving – the slightly warmer temperature makes the fruit flavors really bloom.
This will keep a week or so – it helps to press a piece of parchment paper directly in the surface so that no air comes in contact with the sherbet – cuts down on ice crystal formation. Not that is will be very likely to last long enough for that to happen!
There is an Amazon link in this post – I make a few cents if you purchase through it.
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