Lemon Sorbet

Today is Valentine’s Day, no big plans tonight. BUT on Saturday night, my cooking club is putting on what we are calling an “elegant dinner”….Kir Royale to start, lobster tail with drawn butter, asparagus with hollandaise, truffle potatoes, fruit tart to end….basically, the works!! I thought a lemon sorbet would be a perfect first course so as to cleanse our palates. I’ve made this sorbet before but it’s been many, many years. It’s not overly difficult, just time-consuming with carving out your lemons and the freezing process for the sorbet. The end result, however,  is magnificent!

To begin, wash the lemon rinds very well. Since the actual lemon is your “bowl,” you want to make sure it’s especially clean.

Next, cut off ⅓ of the top of the lemon and just a smidge on the bottom so the lemon will be able to stand upright on your serving dish.

Now comes the tricky part: cleaning out the insides of the lemons while at the same time retaining all the juice. I use a serrated knife, a grapefruit knife and a small spoon. Over a mixing bowl, cut out the lemon’s flesh, scooping out as you go. It doesn’t need to be perfectly clean of all the lemon’s fiber, just as smooth as you can get it. Put the lemon shells on a cookie sheet lined with parchment and put in freezer.

Using a small strainer, squeeze the juice from the pulp and remove all seeds, reserving the fresh juice. Make sure you have 1 cup of lemon juice.

In a sauce pot set over medium heat, add 1 cup of water and 1 cup of sugar. Stir until sugar is totally dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool. Add 1½ teaspoon lemon zest and 1 cup lemon juice. Mix well and chill in refrigerator for 15-20 minutes. Poor into metal mixing bowl and put in freezer for 2 hours. Take out and stir vigorously with fork. Do this process 3-4 times, keeping in freezer overnight. (If you happen to own an ice cream maker, you can let the machine do this step. As I do not own one, I have to do all the mixing!!)

Remove your sorbet and lemon shells. Working fast, fill the shells with the sorbet. When done, put back in freezer  (the sorbet will thaw very quickly so don’t put on table until ready to serve). Top with mint leaves for a colorful addition!

Ingredients:

8 lemons
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 cup lemon juice
1½ teaspoon lemon zest

Serves 8

Tips for Success

• Pick lemons with flat bottoms. When I shop for this recipe I look for big, firm lemons that already stand up fairly straight. You will have to trim less off the bottom and there is less chance of poking a hole through the shell.
• Zest before you cut. It is so much easier to zest a whole lemon than a hollowed out one, so grab your zest first from one or two lemons before you start carving.
• Use a metal bowl. Metal gets cold fast and helps the sorbet freeze evenly between stirrings.
• Stir like you mean it. Scraping the ice crystals from the edges into the center each time is what gives you a smooth, scoopable sorbet instead of a block of lemon ice.
• Soften before filling. If the sorbet is rock hard after the overnight freeze, let it sit on the counter for about five minutes so it is easier to spoon into the shells.

Make Ahead and Storage

This is the perfect make ahead dessert or palate cleanser for a dinner party because all the work happens the day before. Once the shells are filled, cover them loosely with plastic wrap and they will keep in the freezer for up to a week. Any leftover sorbet in the bowl can be pressed into an airtight container and kept frozen for about two weeks. After that it starts to pick up freezer flavors and get icy.

Ingredient Swaps and Variations

The same method works with oranges or limes. Limes are small, so serve two halves per person. You can also stir a little finely chopped fresh mint or basil into the syrup while it cools for an herby twist, then strain it out before adding the juice.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many lemons will I need for a cup of juice?

It depends on the lemons, but eight good sized lemons almost always give me more than enough. If you come up a little short, squeeze in one extra lemon.

Can I use bottled lemon juice?

I would not. Fresh juice is the whole star of this sorbet, and you will have all that fresh juice from carving the lemons anyway.

Can I serve it without the lemon shells?

Of course. Small glasses or teacups look lovely, and you can skip the carving step entirely if you are short on time.

Mandy

Lemon Sorbet in Lemon Shells

Bright, tangy homemade lemon sorbet served in frozen hollowed out lemon shells. An elegant palate cleanser or light dessert that needs no ice cream maker.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 45 minutes mins

Cook Time 5 minutes mins

Total Time 12 hours hrs

Servings: 8 servings

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: French

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 8 lemons washed very well
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup fresh lemon juice from the carved lemons
• 1 1/2 tsp lemon zest
• fresh mint leaves for topping

Method

 

1. Wash the lemon rinds very well, since the lemons will be your serving bowls.
2. Cut off the top third of each lemon and trim a tiny slice off the bottom so it can stand upright.
3. Working over a mixing bowl, use a serrated knife, a grapefruit knife and a small spoon to cut out and scoop out the lemon flesh, saving all the juice.
4. Place the hollow lemon shells on a parchment lined cookie sheet and put them in the freezer.
5. Squeeze the juice from the pulp through a small strainer, remove the seeds and measure out 1 cup of fresh lemon juice.
6. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the water and sugar and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved.
7. Remove from the heat and let the syrup cool, then stir in the lemon zest and lemon juice.
8. Chill the mixture in the refrigerator for 15 to 20 minutes.
9. Pour into a metal mixing bowl and freeze for 2 hours, then stir vigorously with a fork.
10. Repeat the freezing and stirring 3 to 4 times, then leave the sorbet in the freezer overnight. An ice cream maker can do this step instead.
11. Working quickly, fill the frozen lemon shells with sorbet and return them to the freezer until ready to serve.
12. Top with mint leaves just before serving.

Notes

The sorbet melts quickly, so keep the filled shells in the freezer until the moment you serve them. Total time includes the overnight freeze.