What to do with a prolific Meyer Lemon tree let alone two :-)? We have been trying to think of things to make, people to give lemons to, etc... and yesterday I happened to come across a recipe from tartelette.blogspot.com so I decided to give a try it a try plus the icecream machine has been sitting idle for some time, so it's time to put it to work.
The recipe turns out great, the hardest (time-consuming) part was to make the givre' shell... the sorbet was a piece of ... sorbet "-) the machine did all the work. We had quite a bit of fun and a lot of oops - R's mom and I - trying to not mutilate the lemons while scooping their guts out :-P
The sorbet was very refreshing and tasty and more like a gelato with the cream base...this is going to definitely be a repeat throughout the summer!
Citrons Givres adapted from Tartelette who was inspired by Pierre Herme':
Serves 4
4 lemons
150 ml (2/3 cup) lemon juice (some coming from hollowing out the lemons + extra if needed)
150 gr. (2/3 cup) sugar
150 ml (2/3 cup) whole milk (less fat makes it curddle - I used half and half :))
150 ml (2/3 cup) water
1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped crystallized ginger (your taste - I would use 1/4 cup in the syrup but when transferring to the ice cream maker remove most of it down to may be 1 Tbsp)
1. Slice a tiny bit off of the bottoms of the lemons so that they can sit straight (relatively speaking). Slice the top off and keep that "hat". (pic 2) With a grapefruit knife, scoop as much of the flesh out of each lemon (pic 3) and set in a fine mesh strainer set over a bowl.
2. With your hands or the back of a spoon press as much of the lemon juice as you can and measure 150 ml. Add extra lemon juice if needed.
3. Cut the candied ginger in tiny bits. (pic 5)
4. In a saucepan over medium high heat, bring the water and sugar to a bol. Add the ginger (pic 6) and let cool completely.
5. Add the milk and the lemon juice, stir and process in your ice cream machine according to your manufacturer's directions. (pic 7-8)
If you do not have an ice cream machine: freeze until soft serve consistency and mix with an immersion blender or whisk in a stand mixer. Put back in the freezer and repeat the operation 2-3 times, leaving enough time in between whippings for the mixture to get frozen.
6. Once your ice cream is ready, fill the lemon cavities and keep frozen until ready to serve. (pic 9)
It was in the 90s F here today, so these little gems were a big hit :-)