Pomegranate Limoncello Sorbet Recipe

 

disclaimer: I was sent some bottles of pomegranate juice to play with by the nice folk at Pom Wonderful. For free.

Some recipes deserve a long and lovely introduction, drawing you into a warm and inviting kitchen to join with the happy people there. This is not one of those recipes.

This recipe was concocted as I stood in the kitchen on an unseasonably hot April day, staring at a case of Pom Wonderful pomegranate juice. (Thanks, Pom people!) While some juices taste like overly sweetened shadows of their source fruit, pomegranate juice is tangy, with the pure and unmistakable taste of...well, pomegranates. All I needed to do was sweeten the juice a tiny bit and add a smidge of lemon to brighten the flavor. Poof! Like magic, Pomegranate Limoncello Sorbet was created.

Simple Syrup
Simple syrup is a pantry standby for many cooks, offering a way to add sweetness to uncooked dishes or drinks without graininess of undissolved sugar. To make simple syrup, combine equal parts sugar and water in a saucepan, bring to a boil, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar. Cool and store, pretty much eternally, in the refrigerator. I keep a bottle handy, replenishing it when I run out.
Bonus for bird lovers: Refill hummingbird feeders with a mix of one part simple syrup to three parts water. You can add a drop of red food coloring if you like, although hummers quickly learn where to come for their food without added color.

This is barely even a recipe, more of a general formula (some might call it a ratio) with instructions to trust your tastebuds. If you keep simple syrup on hand, and you should, it takes less than five minutes to make the sorbet base. Another minute or so to start the freezing process and you've got almost instant sorbet. (Maybe I should call this something trendy like No-cook Artisan Sorbet in Five Minutes.)

Pomegranate Limoncello Sorbet

1. Pour 3 cups of pomegranate juice into a pitcher. Add about 1/4 cup simple syrup, stir and taste.
   Add more juice and/or simple syrup until the mixture is not quite as sweet as you want it. 
2. Chill for at least 3-4 hours, but preferably overnight.
3. Just before freezing, stir in 1-2 tablespoons of limoncello. (No more or it won't freeze correctly.) Stir, taste and make final adjustments. 
4. Pour mixture into ice cream machine and freeze. When it is done, serve immediately or scrape into a container and freeze.

You can use this formula for just about any juice-based sorbet, adjusting the amount of simple syrup to taste and maybe swapping around the booze. As for me, I am sticking with pomegranate for the moment. At least until the blueberries in my freezer start calling my name a wee bit louder.