5 Ingredients or Fewer
Strawberry Sorbet From The River Café
Recipe by: Genius Recipes
Popular on Food52
63 Reviews
Alison J.
July 25, 2022
So easy and delicious. I had super ripe local strawberries so cutback the sugar and even added more lemon. Huge hit.
Tortoise
July 11, 2022
a fantastic recipe that lets the flavors of the strawberries/raspberries' shine. i make preserved lemons and i added one salt and all to the recipe. I added preserved lemon to the food processor. it was a great twist on the recipe.
Kiki
May 13, 2022
Hi there. I’m making this for the first time today, I’m sure it will be delicious. Has anyone tried making this with artificial sugar like stevia or erythritol? Would that work or is it a chemistry thing with the sugar as in merengues?
mlledaffodil
April 16, 2023
I use Splenda for sorbet all the time, but you must add alcohol or the sorbet will freeze rock hard—1-2 tbs of vodka
katelizbaking
July 13, 2021
I love this but I accidentally broke my food processor and my ice cream maker struggled. Would recommend halving the recipe if you don't have large kitchen appliances. Otherwise incredible. <3
snic
July 6, 2021
I haven't made this specific recipe (which looks delicious), but in general if you add a tablespoon or two of vodka to a fruit- and sugar-based sorbet recipe, it will freeze to a nice scoopable texture rather than rock-hard. And usually you can't taste the vodka.
LNE
July 5, 2021
I made this twice with apples. First with Ambrosia 'cause it's my favourite apple, peeled & cored, reduced the sugar because Ambrosias are quite sweet, it tasted like applesauce, I then added a dash of Żubrówka, put it in the fridge to chill a bit since all my ingredients were room temp, that was a mistake! The lemon went bitter. It also just looked & tasted like frozen applesauce so I will not use Ambrosia again. Second time, I chilled the apples and lemon in the fridge, I used Granny Smith, peeled & cored, sugar as is, one whole lemon and a dash of Żubrówka; this tasted much better! It tasted more like lemon than apple though so I may reduce the lemon next time. The colour was a very nice light green. After freezing in the freezer for an hour, the texture was like a slurpee but thicker. Any suggestions on how to intensify the apple flavour naturally?
Kristen M.
July 7, 2021
How cool! Thanks for reporting back. Maybe a bit of Calvados or other apple liqueur? Or some reduced apple juice or cider, or boiled cider syrup? (King Arthur sells it: https://shop.kingarthurbaking.com/items/vermont-boiled-cider-1-pint)
Suzanne
May 19, 2020
I have made this incredible sorbet for many years and love it. Probably a silly question but has anyone turned it into sorbet pops instead? Is there a trick to making them the right consistency to pour into a pop mold?
Kristen M.
June 29, 2021
Hi Suzanne, I'm sorry I'm just seeing this—the batches I've made recently seem like they'd work well as pops, but if you want to make them a bit harder, you could decrease the sugar slightly and adjust the flavors to taste.
Austin B.
June 5, 2019
Really good, and easy. I'd recommend seeding the lemon before you toss in it though.
amanda R.
February 28, 2019
This lemon trick is truly genius - a little goes a long way. I used this recipe as a base because I only had frozen mixed berries (blueberries, raspberries, blackberries) and 1 lemon on hand. I used the food processor to blend and then churned in my Kitchenaid ice cream bowl. I added 1/4c-1/2c of whole milk for creaminess. Very delicious!
Moyard O.
July 12, 2013
This is absolutely delicious! The lemons seem to enhance the strawberry flavour and the colour is intense. I had a glut of strawberries in my garden and thought they would be wasted as a jam, but this is superb. I strained the strawberry puree to get most of the pips out and also strained out the chunks of lemon peel. And I added a tot of rum to stop it freezing too hard as I don't have an icecream machine. You just have to remember to stir it to break up the ice every couple of hours.
RuthAnn
August 31, 2023
Hi, Moyard! I wish I had read your review before making my batch. We are chewing up chunks of lemon rind with every bite. :/ Shouldve strained those out first. Will do next time!
Eilibake
June 25, 2013
Absolutely delicious! Was doubtful of the whole lemon blitzed at first but worked excellently. We used the whole lemon plus juice of only one other lemon and added a tablespoon of limoncello (might add two next time...!). Wonderfully intense color and flavour. Great!
bcbsr123
April 10, 2013
When you say one lemon seeded and roughly chopped do you mean the entire lemon rind and all?
Woodside
April 10, 2013
Sounds like a mistake, right? But yes, rind too. The citrus version of "snout to tail."
kasia S.
May 7, 2014
reminds me of a Nigella Lawson Chocolate Orange cake where you boil two whole oranges and then pulverize them in a processor, then add to batter, amazing.
RuthAnn
August 31, 2023
Yes, but don't toss the seeds in. Also, I recommend you strain the lemon peels out. We were having to chew those up with every bite.
Woodside
March 17, 2013
This is even better than advertised. I only used the one processed lemon, plus the juice of one other lemon, and the lemon flavor was good, but didn't overpower the berries. The consistency, even after being in the freezer for a few days, was still as good as day one. Is this adaptable to other fruits, varying the sugar, perhaps?
lllooolll
January 18, 2013
wish i had done this for my food tec class. made it at home and it was a winner
marley16
August 1, 2012
this is fabulous! I am making for the second time this week. I may add some alcohol so it doesn't freeze as hard.
borntobeworn
August 19, 2011
We're at the beach and I made this last night - YUM!! So glad I upped the quantity a little so we have plenty for tonight too.
Chubby B.
August 16, 2011
I made this with Meyer lemons and it cranked the insane deliciousness up to eleven. One of the all-time great summer desserts and way too easy.
tufftuck
August 16, 2011
Where can I find that little metal bowl? Is it zinc?
Kristen M.
August 16, 2011
Amanda says that cool little bowl is actually aluminum and she got them at a store in London called Divertimenti: http://www.divertimenti.co.uk/
Margaret M.
July 23, 2011
Made this recipe using frozen berries, slightly thawed, and it came out great. In a word, the flavor is INTENSE. And the color is beautiful. Learned something using my brand new 1.5 quart Cuisinart ice cream maker (recommended by food52): this recipe is a little too large for the freezer bowl. My kitchen counter was quite the red mess. But that's a small price to pay for something so tasty. Live and learn! :0)
Kristen M.
July 24, 2011
Thanks for the report, Margaret -- glad it mostly worked for you! I've been trying to figure out why yours overflowed, even though it fits in my ice cream maker (which, I think, is the same model). I'm wondering if it could be the difference in volume between 2 lbs. fresh berries, which then get the stems/hulls lopped off after weighing vs. 2 lbs. frozen berries, which have already been hulled? It sounds like the strawberry weight should be decreased by a few ounces when using frozen berries (especially when using a 1.5 quart machine!). Thanks for being the guinea pig!
haeema
July 23, 2011
"uni
19 days ago
If you don't have an ice cream maker, freeze the hulled berries first then process with the pureed sugar and lemons and you'll be ready to go. You might need an hour or two in the freezer. "
I used this version substituting Splenda for sugar since my family is diabetic. It was a smashing hit!
19 days ago
If you don't have an ice cream maker, freeze the hulled berries first then process with the pureed sugar and lemons and you'll be ready to go. You might need an hour or two in the freezer. "
I used this version substituting Splenda for sugar since my family is diabetic. It was a smashing hit!
akt
July 19, 2011
I was really skeptical about using the whole lemon, but wow, the flavor is amazing!
KelsoKitchen
July 17, 2011
Love the chunks of lemon--it really made this a standout sorbet. I also found it a tad sweet but it made it perfect for pairing with the Prosecco we were drinking to celebrate our anniversary. I think I'll try pairing it with margaritas next.
Karen S.
July 15, 2011
do you need to use ice cream maker
Kristen M.
July 15, 2011
You don't, but it will have a slightly icier texture -- check out Annelle's helpful report of her results, with and without an ice cream maker here: http://bit.ly/osgB3S
CarolineR
July 14, 2011
Can I use a sugar substitute? My husband is diabetic.
Kristen M.
July 15, 2011
There are a couple great alternatives for diabetics in the comments on the original blog post here: http://bit.ly/khQWP3
ccandela
July 13, 2011
Made this tonight. It was INCREDIBLE. At first I thought it might be a little bit too sweet but the tartness definitely balanced it out. I'm in love with this and am kind of glad my husband doesn't like strawberries because I can eat the whole thing by myself... (over a period of several days that is... )
CharlieR
July 8, 2011
I think it is all about taste.
I just made this..... It's wonderful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I made it with the two cups of sugar; a large chopped lemon; and 1/2 large lemon juiced.
It is just right for us.
Fabulous recipe!
I just made this..... It's wonderful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I made it with the two cups of sugar; a large chopped lemon; and 1/2 large lemon juiced.
It is just right for us.
Fabulous recipe!
oishii D.
July 7, 2011
Perhaps this will "out" me for my culinary immaturity, but I just made this, and it just tasted...pithy...I added a touch more sugar during churning to see if that would lessen it - it did, to an extent but it's definitely still there...again, could just be me and my immature taste buds - Maybe if I try it again I will stick to just the fleshy insides of the lemon...the pithy aftertaste is there too. Just me?
zingyginger
July 7, 2011
I reduced the sugar by 1/4 cup, used 2 large lemons (1 chopped, 1 juiced) and passed it through a food mill to get all the little pieces of bitter pith that I kept finding while tasting. It still seems a tad on the sweet side but what gorgeous color and wonderful flavor! Thanks for posting this recipe and for all the helpful comments!
Kitchen B.
July 6, 2011
Making this right now - excited. First up, the lemon and sugar mixture is AWESOME. Oh my word - it would make a stunning base for a light cake. Having just made a Sicilian orange cake which was a winner, I'm going to try this technique in the recipe! Wonderful. So excited. Thank you
SarahM
July 5, 2011
Tried this over the weekend and loved the technique. But I found the sugar and lemon overwhelmed the strawberry flavor just a bit. Next time, I'll try cutting those ingredients by a third each.
LizK
July 5, 2011
Made it for the Fourth, using berries that were teetering on the edge of being over-ripe. This was amazingly good. My only caveat was that the pieces of lemon rind were a little distracting; maybe I should have left it a little longer in the processor.
Kitchen B.
July 6, 2011
I made sure I pureed my lemon fine. I can see how if they were chunky, it would affect the taste. I wonder if this would be a great starter for an icecream float. Or sorbet float as the case may be!!!!!!!!!!
lhowson
July 4, 2011
I just made this sorbet, and mine was cloyingly sweet. So sweet that I couldn't eat more than a few spoonfuls. I used 1/4 to 1/3 cup LESS sugar than called for (Domino granulated white sugar), plus the juice of two lemons. The puree tasted fine in the bowl, but maybe my mixing was insufficent and there was lemon sugar at the bottom of the bowl. Tc.he strawberries were good but not stellar, and they weren't super sweet nor were they overly tart---maybe a 6 out of a 10, but the best available in the time I had.
Is 2 cups really the right amount of sugar? I would only use 1 cup in the future. Thanks.
Is 2 cups really the right amount of sugar? I would only use 1 cup in the future. Thanks.
Kristen M.
July 7, 2011
The 2 cups of sugar is correct -- sorry it didn't work well for you! The ideal is a balance of sweet and tart. If you still have it around, you could try adding in some unsweetened whipped cream or creme fraiche to cut the sweetness -- either mixed in or spooned on top.
uni
July 4, 2011
If you don't have an ice cream maker, freeze the hulled berries first then process with the pureed sugar and lemons and you'll be ready to go. You might need an hour or two in the freezer.
dcamer
July 3, 2011
Made the puree and then stuck it in the freezer for an hour or so. I figured that the colder it was when it went into the machine the better. It isn't quite done yet, but the taste tests have been amazing.
ShawnE
July 2, 2011
If the taste of the "base" (pureed strawberries, sugar, and lemons) are any indication- then this is going to be phenomenal-- watching the ice cream maker churn (but you know what they say about a watched pot... so trying - not successfully-- to distract myself while I wait!) Thanks for posting this great simple summer recipe!
Kitchen B.
July 6, 2011
I'm away from my 'pot' or ice cream maker! The base was stunning, both in part (lemon and sugar mix) and the whole. My daughter and her friend are LICKING out the food processor bowl!!!
Judy A.
July 2, 2011
Run don't walk to this recipe. Simple and simply fantastic. This is definitely one to remember.
zingyginger
June 29, 2011
Looks gorgeous! Is this like lazy mary's lemon tart where the one lemon seeded includes pith & rind?
Kitchen B.
June 29, 2011
Sarah Shatz - you amaze me......seriously looking forward to a 'gift' of an afternoon with the food52 photographer. Merrill, Amanda - can you please make that one of the prizes?????????????
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