Melon Sherbet

May I preface this by saying two things? Number one: I have lived my whole life saying SHERBERT. My auto spell check feature tells me that "sherbert" isn't even a word. You know what IS a word? Sherbet. I find this mind blowing. It's as if someone took me aside and said, "actually, Alice- they're called HANDburgers." Anyway, I've actually looked up the difference well before I ever made any, and I found it all very interesting. I guess it's just a regional thing. Check out the wikipedia page if you're bored enough. I still can't say "sherbet" out loud, I have to say it "sherbert" because it messes with my reality too much. Number two! Two whole days ago, Summer and I made some adorable little cookies, but since she's the baker and also has the recipe, she was supposed to blog about them. She's promised me that she'll do so tonight, and it's HURTING MY BRAIN to blog things out of the order in which they were made because I'm a wee bit OCD like that, but I think in the long run, we're all going to be okay.



Last week it was hot. REALLY hot, like over 95 degrees hot. I started looking up ice cream and sorbet recipes with Summer to see what we could throw together to combat the heat wave, but all the recipes required like- ALL THIS EFFORT. Effort I was not willing to put forth on a 95+ day. To add insult to injury, my sister- the owner of the ice cream maker, told me that the frozen cylinder that cools the ice cream required 8 hours of freezing time. What, she doesn't just keep it in her freezer so she can make ice cream at the drop of a hat? That's CRAZY! The weather very quickly turned from sweltering to soggy in literally a day or two, and we've all spent the last week kind of confused about whether or not to wear a jacket. It's the end of May! It's cold and rainy but like, also kind of warm? WHAT GIVES, WEATHER GODS? Anyway, things always turn in our favor eventually. Summer found a dynamite Melon Sherbet recipe that was easy and tasty, and the weather finally cooperated by turning sunny and warm.



As I mentioned, I don't have an ice cream maker. My sister does. Does everyone in the world need to own an ice cream maker? Hell no! First of all, if I had my own ice cream maker I'd probably be a good 30 pounds heavier. Secondly, why do I need one when I can borrow Renee's? Thanks, dude!



I'm not sure how much it cost her, but it's just a little hand-crank number, and I'm pretty sure she got it used, so I doubt it set her back too much. So, as much as I love to adapt recipes to suit myself, I always like to pretty much follow them to a T on the first try, to make sure I'm doing things right. Here's the original recipe as it appears on 101cookbooks.com:


1 pound of juicy, extra-ripe, orange-fleshed melon
1/4 cup mild flavored honey (needs to be fluid, and you might use a bit less depending on the sweetness of the melon)
1/2 cup organic whole milk
generous pinch of salt

Cut the melon flesh from its rind into a medium bowl and puree with a hand blender. You will need 2 cups of puree.

Add the milk, and salt. Now you want to sweeten to taste. If your honey is in a solid or crystallized state you need to dunk the jar in a bowl of warm water until it is liquid again. This way it will mix easily with the rest of the ingredients. Start by blending in 2T. of the honey and taste. If you think the mixture needs to be sweeter, add more honey. Keep in mind you want the honey to bring out and complement the flavor of the melon, not overpower it.

Pour into an ice-cream maker, and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Serves 4 to 6.



That's it, holy crap! The easiest recipe ever. The only moment of trouble I had was trying to get the lid of the ice cream maker locked in right so the stupid cylinder wouldn't spin with the hand-crank. I had a pretty serious, "GAWD, I CAN'T DO ANYTHING RIGHT!" moment, but it was cleared up pretty much instantly. If you're looking for something rich and creamy and sinful, don't bother. This is the perfect end to a brain-meltingly hot day. It's refreshing, sweet, and crisp, not too filling, and completely guilt-free. (Uh, unless you're vegan. Then you can go ahead and start feeling guilty.)

On my second go-around, I might try a heavy cream instead of the whole milk for a little creamier consistency, and I'd love to try this with different fruit purees, including a different color of melon. Keep an eye out, I may be featuring this recipe again in different incarnations.