Yummm! Sinfully Sweet Sorbets!!!

I could never explain within the confines of this little blog of mine the pure unending love I have of a good, cool, soothing, sorbet. Ice Cream loaded with chocolate and candy and all that good stuff is great... but honestly, 9 times out of 10, I will be rocking a pint of Haagen Daaz Lowfat Raspberry Sorbet.

I have never attempted to make my own sorbet, and I wondered if it would be something easy to do, so I scoured the internet and found a collection of delicious and unique sorbet flavors that will not require a Master's Degree in Chemistry (Just an ice cream maker!) to accomplish and enjoy!!

Mango Sorbet

Recipe Courtesy of Epicurious

Yield: Makes 6 cups

Ingredients:

4 ripe mangoes (about 3 1/2 pounds total)
1 cup Simple Syrup
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice, or to taste

Directions:

Line a baking sheet with plastic wrap.

Wash and dry mangoes. Using a sharp knife, remove the 2 flat sides of each mango, cutting lengthwise alongside pit and cutting as close to pit as possible so that mango flesh is in 2 large pieces. With a spoon carefully scoop flesh from mango sides into a blender, leaving shells intact. With a knife cut remaining flesh from pit and add to blender. Add syrup and lime juice to blender and purée until smooth. Put mango shells on baking sheet and freeze while making sorbet.

Freeze mango purée in an ice-cream maker. Scoop sorbet into frozen shells, mounding slightly, and smooth surfaces. Freeze filled mango shells at least 6 hours, or until frozen hard. Frozen sorbets in shells may be wrapped individually in plastic wrap and kept in freezer 1 week.

Honeydew Sorbet

Recipe Courtesy of Epicurean

Ingredients:

4 1/2 cups honeydew melon -- diced
- melon should weigh about 3 1/2 lbs
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons lime zest -- grated
1/2 cup lime juice

Directions:

Mash the sugar and lime peel with a spoon to release the oils. Let stand for 5-10 minutes. Add the lime juice. Pour mixture through a fine strainer into a blender or food processor; discard lime peel.

Add melon, a portion at a time, and whirl until smooth. Add more sugar or lime juice if desired. Transfer to bowl.

Nest bowl in ice water; stir often until cold, 5-10 minutes. Pour chilled puree into an ice cream maker. Freeze as directed by the maker until the sorbet is firm enough to scoop. Serve or place in freezer until frozen harder

Key Lime Sorbet with Ginger Snaps
Recipe Courtesy of Cooking Light

Ingredients:

5 cups water
1 cup sugar
3 (1/8-inch-thick) slices peeled fresh ginger
2 teaspoons grated Key lime rind or lime rind
1/2 cup fresh Key lime juice or lime juice (about 10 Key limes)
Gingersnaps (Make them fresh or buy a box)

Directions:

Combine first 3 ingredients in a large nonaluminum saucepan; bring to a boil. Add lime rind, and cook over low heat 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Strain mixture through a sieve into a bowl, reserving the sugar mixture. Discard solids. Cool sugar mixture completely. Stir in lime juice.

Pour the juice mixture into the freezer can of an ice-cream freezer, and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions. Spoon sorbet into a freezer-safe container; cover and freeze for 2 hours or until firm. Serve with Gingersnaps.

Matcha Green Tea Sorbet
Recipe Courtesy of Japanese Food About.com

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp matcha (green tea powder)
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 cups water

Directions:

Combine granulated sugar and green tea powder in a bowl. Put 2 cups of water and the sugar mixture in a sauce pan. Heat until sugar dissolves. Soak the pan in a bowl of cold water to cool the liquid to room temperature. Pour the liquid in a freezer-safe container and put it in a freezer. Stir the sorbet every 30 minutes or one hour. Freeze until sorbet is alomost frozen. Serve into glasses.

Pomegranate and Mint Sorbet

Recipe Courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis, Food Network

Ingredients:

1 cup Mint Simple Syrup, recipe follows
2 cups 100 percent pomegranate juice (recommended: Pom Wonderful)
1 cup orange juice
1/2 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
Fresh mint sprigs, for garnish

Directions:

Special equipment: an ice cream maker

In a glass pitcher, combine the Mint Simple Syrup, pomegranate juice, and orange juice. Pour the pomegranate mixture in an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions. During the last 10 minutes of freezing time, add the mini chocolate chips.

Scoop the sorbet into dessert bowls and garnish with fresh mint sprigs.

Mint Simple Syrup

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1 packed cup packed fresh mint leaves

In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, water, and mint leaves over medium heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the syrup to cool for 20 minutes. Strain before using.

Peach-Jasmine Sorbet

Recipe Courtesy of Gourmet.com

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb ripe white peaches, peeled, pitted, and sliced
1 1/2 cups jasmine syrup
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, or to taste
Sugar to taste (optional)

Directions:

Purée peaches, syrup, and lemon juice in 2 batches in a blender until smooth. Add lemon juice and/or sugar to taste if necessary (keep in mind that sorbet will taste a little less sweet when frozen). Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl, pressing on and then discarding solids.

Chill, covered, until cold, at least 4 hours.

Freeze in ice cream maker, then transfer to an airtight container and put in freezer to harden, at least 1 hour.