Strawberry mint sorbet

You know that the spring- and almost summer-like weather is here to stay when you start to get a hankering for ice creams and sorbets. When I asked Luis to get our ice cream maker off of the top shelf the other day, I knew that it is definitely that time of year! After I found gorgeous seasonal strawberries at the Marché Bastille over the weekend, I thought that they would be just perfect in a luscious sorbet.

Looking around on the Web, I found tons of recipes for strawberry sorbet. But when I discovered fellow Parisian David Lebovitz's version, I knew that I had a winner! I adore David's blog and read it almost daily and am also a big fan of his book The Sweet Life in Paris, which chronicles his culinary (and other) experiences as an American in Paris, something that I can relate to all too well. David's strawberry sorbet recipe comes from his book The Perfect Scoop: Ice Creams, Sorbets, Granitas and Sweet Accompaniments. I don't own this book as of yet, but one taste of this delectable sorbet convinced me that I need to buy it ASAP!

I adapted the recipe a bit in omitting the optional kirch liquour, replacing the fresh lemon juice with lime juice and adding in some fresh chopped mint. I love mint in just about anything....soup, chutney, biryani, dessert, drink, you name it! It adds a nice zing here that complemented the strawberries and lime juice perfectly.

By the way, if you don't own an ice cream maker but love ice cream and love the idea of making up your own interesting flavors and combinations, then by all means, invest in one! When we first got ours as a wedding present last summer, I was a bit skeptical, wondering if it would join the legions of other initially exciting kitchen gadgets that we store away and never use. But it absolutely hasn't...we love our ice cream maker! And we absolutely LOVED this sorbet...it's like biting into fresh strawberries that have been frozen...only better!

STRAWBERRY MINT SORBET

Adapted from David Lebovitz
Makes 3 cups (750 milliters)

1 pound (450 grams) fresh strawberries, rinsed & hulled
3/4 cup (150 grams) sugar (or a tad less if you want a less sweet sorbet)
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lime juice
Pinch of salt
2 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped fine

1. Slice the strawberries and place them in a large bowl along with the sugar. Stir well until the sugar starts to dissolve.

2. Cover and let stand for at least an hour, stirring every so often (I actually left my mixture in the refrigerator overnight).

3. Puree the strawberries and their liquid, along with the lime juice, pinch of salt and mint, in a blender or food processor until well blended.

4. Strain the mixture if you wish, or if you are like me and like strawberry seeds, don't bother!

5. Chill the mixture and then freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.