At the request of a few, here are the recipes for the sorbets I brought. I must admit that they've been stolen from Cooks Illustrated or Alton Brown, but it also helps to start with quality fruit (or herbs or extracts).
Peach Sorbet
- 6 or 7 medium sized peaches, peeled and pitted
- 1 cup minus a tablespoon of granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon of rum, vodka, or peach-flavoured brandy
Puree the peaches with the lemon juice (inhibits browning!), strain through a mesh strainer, and add the sugar and alcohol. You can mix it by hand until the sugar dissolves, but I like to cheat and do it all in the blender.
Blueberry Sorbet
- 2 and 1/2 cups blueberries
- 1 cup of granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon of vodka or rum
Puree the blueberries, strain through a mesh strainer, and mix in the remaining ingredients, stirring until the sugar has dissolved.
With either of the above, you can add half a cup of water to the fruit puree, if you prefer a less aggressive fruit flavour.
Watermelon Sorbet
- 1lb and 5 ounces diced watermelon (or any other melon)
- 9 ounces or 1 and 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons vodka/rum
Puree the watermelon and add the remaining ingredients.
Chill any of these bases to about 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Pour them into your ice cream machine and freeze "according to manufacturer's directions." They can be placed in the freezer for a few hours to harden and have been known to last three to four days, possibly longer if given the opportunity.