Strawberry Sorbet

As I attempt to lose some of my baby weight from this pregnancy, I am looking for some healthier alternatives to have around the house. My little boy has been working with quite a sweet tooth lately, so I decided that this would be the perfect time to experiment with a sorbet in my ice cream machine. (Another huge thank you to Carrie! She bought us the ice cream maker as an engagement gift and we use it all the time! We love it!)

The recipe I chose incorporated a few different time periods where it was necessary to let the ingredients cool completely before continuing. I was starting this sorbet a little later than I had originally planned, so I was a little weary about how long it was going to take. To speed things up a bit, I used a bag of Dole frozen whole strawberries in place of the fresh ones that were listed. (This is also a much more feasible winter option from a cost perspective.) Using the frozen berries sped up the process quite a bit. They still broke down nicely in the food processor, only leaving a few pieces of berries. The recipe called for using a mesh strainer to strain out the berry puree, but I skipped this part. I personally liked the idea of a few berry pieces in the sorbet. The texture of the finished product was very smooth and I think I would definitely take these shortcuts again in the future.

Strawberry Sorbet

1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1/4 cup corn syrup
1 quart fresh strawberries, stems removed, quartered
4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Bring the sugar and the water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Reduce the heat and simmer, without stirring, until the sugar is completely dissolved. Transfer to a bowl and let cool completely. Combine the strawberries and the lemon juice in a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Pulse to chop the strawberries, about 15-20 times, then process until the strawberries are completely pureed (about 1-2 minutes). Press the strawberry mixture through a fine mesh strainer to remove the seeds. Combine the strawberry mixture with the sugar mixture and the corn syrup. Chill for 1 hour. Freeze according to your ice cream maker directions.

Source: Cuisinart