Cucumber Sorbet is an end of summer treat. I’ve made it a few times this year, but for this final batch, I used our very last cucumber, plucked from the last fading cucumber vine that we had already given up on, revisited only because I was just shy of the 1 1/2 pounds of cucumber flesh we needed for this recipe.
The ingredients in this recipe are prescriptive. Three tablespoons of lemon juice may sounds like a lot, but if you skimp on the lemon juice, the Cucumber Sorbet won’t be as refreshing and light. It will taste of cucumber when it first hits your tongue, but the finish will be all sugar. Not pleasant. Likewise, with the melon liqueur. If you’re hesitant to add an alcohol element, trust me, it’s the right thing to do. You won’t taste the alcohol, but the melon flavor will enhance the cucumber notes, and the alcohol will prevent the cucumber sorbet from freezing so hard that you can’t scoop it into balls. And the mint garnish – need I explain how perfect that is? I think there’s a scoop of Cucumber Sorbet floating in a cocktail, yet to be crafted, in our future. You’re invited!
Cucumber Sorbet
Equipment
- 11-cup (or larger) food processor
- ice cream maker
Ingredients
- 1½ pounds peeled, and deseeded cucumbers (approximately 10-12 small/medium cucumbers)
- 3 T lemon juice
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 T melon liqueur
- fresh mint, for garnish
Instructions
- Freeze the ice cream maker bowl – Be sure to stash the bowl of your ice cream maker in the freezer for at least 24 hour in advance of churning the sorbet.
- Prep the cucumbers – Working one at a time, peel and deseed the cucumbers. Give them a rough chop and continue working until you have a pound and a half of chopped cucumbers.
- Process – Add the cucumbers, sugar, lemon juice and liqueur to the bowl of your food processor, and process until very smooth. Stash in the refrigerator until you're ready to make sorbet.
- Churn and Freeze – Pour the mixture into your ice cream maker while it is running, and churn for 15-20 minutes. The mixture will expand as it freezes, so let it churn until the sorbet completely fills the bowl. Transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze for at least 4 hours. When ready to serve, scoop into balls (or scrape if you haven't added the liqueur) and garnish with fresh mint.
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Yummy.