I was buying strawberries from the local farm daily this season. And we ate them by the quart, daily. I did nothing creative, short of mashing them up with a fork and mixing them in my morning yogurt or pouring that same concoction on top of frozen yogurt. Their juicy, sweet deliciousness was all we needed. No sugar, nothing. The plain strawberries were perfect.
Alas, strawberry season has come to a close where we live. I’m ok with that. Not because I ate my weight in strawberries, but looking at it in a more positive light, it means we’re one step closer to tomatoes and corn. And I’m happy to announce that we just had our first peaches of the season. Delicious!
I felt obligated to muster up one creative strawberry concoction with the last of the berries, so I opted for Dave Lebovitz’s Strawberry Rhubarb sorbet. If you haven’t made sorbet, you must give it a try. It’s simple to make, and a healthier dessert choice. In the past I’ve made both mango and blackberry sorbet. Both are equally refreshing summer treats.
Adapted from Dave Lebovitz
INGREDIENTS
- 3/4 lb rhubarb, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (about 4-5 stalks)
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2/3 cup water
- 1 1/2 cups fresh sliced strawberries
- 1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice
Put the sliced rhubarb, water and sugar in a saucepan and bring to boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves completely. Cover and allow to simmer until the rhubarb is tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, transfer to a bowl and bring to room temperature. If you’re impatient like me, once the bowl cools slightly, place it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or so.
Meanwhile, hull and slice your strawberries. Place them in the bowl of a food processor along with the cooled rhubarb and lemon juice. Puree until the mixture is smooth. Transfer to a container or bowl, cover and refrigerate until chilled completely. Emphasis on completely. I recommend making the mixture the day before you plan to make the sorbet.
Following the instructions on your ice cream machine, pour the chilled strawberry rhubarb mixture into the bowl of the machine and blend.
If you can keep everyone from eating it right out of the machine, place it into an air-tight container in your freezer. For my next trick, I think I will be trying peach sorbet. How yummy will that be?!
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