September 13, 2013

Fresh Raspberry Sherbet

Picking fresh raspberries is one of my favorite things to do. It is calming, a good stress reliever and a great way to start the day. Especially when the leaves are still wet with dew and the berries glisten in the morning sunshine.

Conveniently my 91 year old neighbor has an enormous organic raspberry patch that she lets me pick all of her raspberries out of. She is moving soon and I will be sad to see her go. Somehow I'm going to have to convince the new neighbors to let me pick raspberries next year! I have collected over six pounds so far and after my entire family gorges themselves on fresh raspberries I freeze what's left.

So far I have made raspberry scones, fresh puree for pancakes and waffles, a vinaigrette and raspberry applesauce. Since sherbet is my absolute favorite kind of ice cream raspberry sherbet was the next obvious choice for using up the raspberries. And a good one I might add!!

  

Before you start on the sherbet you will want to make the puree. You can use fresh or frozen berries. I used frozen berries that weren't prime to eat fresh. Picked, of course, out of the raspberry patch!
 
There are several ways to make puree:
If you are using fresh berries just blend them and strain them through a fine mesh strainer to remove the seeds.
 
If you are using frozen berries use the following steps:
1. In a medium saucepan cook 12 ounces of frozen berries and 1/4 cup water over medium heat until berries start to release their juices.
2. Using a spatula, wooden spoon or veggie masher - mash the berries.
3. Remove berries from heat and blend mixture with an immersion blender until smooth.
4. Line a bowl with a fine mesh strainer and pour mixture into strainer.
5. Gently shake the strainer until all you have left are seeds. Discard seeds. You should have approximately 1 1/2 cups of puree. If you have a bit extra drink it up or pour
over pancakes in the morning!



Making homemade raspberry sherbet is actually very simple compared to proper ice cream. You don't need to cook anything which is a bonus in saving time!

Fresh Raspberry Sherbet
1 1/2 c. raspberry puree
1 c. heavy cream
1/2 c. milk
1/2 c. sugar
1 t. fresh lemon juice (optional)

In a medium mixing bowl combine all ingredients. Stir well until the sugar is dissolved.
Cover bowl and refrigerate mixture for 3-4 hours before freezing in an ice cream machine.

Once mixture has been cooled freeze according to machine instructions. Basically, you just need to make sure your freezer bowl is completely frozen and you don't overfill the bowl with the sherbet mixture!
 
In my machine it took about 15 minutes to get a soft serve consistency. It is very good this way and irresistible to try! Place in a airtight container and freeze longer for a harder consistency - more like traditional sherbet. Eat and enjoy with more fresh raspberries!