Lemon Sorbet (with Buttermilk)

Immediately after culturing my first quart of homemade buttermilk, I began trying to figure out what I could do with it. This tangy dessert has a fresh lemon flavor without the ice-iness that you sometimes find in commercially available lemon sorbets. It is based on the Almond and Buttermilk Sorbet recipe from The Essential New York Times Cook Book. This sorbet require advance plannings. And an ice cream maker. If you don't keep the cylinder for your ice cream maker in the freezer, remember to put it in when you start the buttermilk. Time matters and they really do work best if the cylinder is frozen for 24 hours before you start churning.

Lemon Buttermilk Sorbet

Ingredients:
1/3 Cup lemon juice -- Fresh is fantastic. Bottled works fine.
1 Cup sugar
1/4 Cup light corn syrup
2 Cups buttermilk

How to:
1.Combine the lemon and sweeteners in a small sauce pan and simmer over medium low heat until the sugar is dissolved. Then let it cool back to room temperature.

2. Combine the lemon syrup and the buttermilk and chill. To speed the process, put them in a freezer bag, Seal it well and immerse it in a bowl of ice water.

3. Churn in an ice cream maker.

4. Remove to a freezer safe container with a tight lid. Put a sheet of parchment paper flush to the top of the sorbet. Then put on the lid and stash it in the freezer for a couple of hours.

Variations:
This sorbet is sturdy enough to stand up to some mix-ins like a little fresh lemon zest stirred in after churning.

The original recipe  called for taking 1/2 Cup of whole raw almonds, roasting them briefly in a small dry skillet on medium-high heat, pulverizing them in a food processor with 1/4 C sugar and adding that to the lemon syrup and buttermilk before churning. I haven't done it since we don't cook with almonds, but it sounds delicious.

Lime Mint Ice Cream Bars (no ice cream maker needed)

I love the fresh flavors of mint and lime. A creamy dessert that combines them is right up my alley. You will need to clear some acreage in your freezer for these. And have patience. You have to make these in two stages and they take several hours to freeze.

Lime Mint Ice Cream Bars

Ingredients:
1 package graham crackers
small handful salted pistachios
dash of ground ginger
1/4 Cup butter (1/2 a stick) (room temperature or fridge temperature both work)
2 Cups heavy cream
14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk (we use fat free, but regular works)
1/2 Cup sour cream
1/2 Cup fresh mint leaves roughly chopped
finely grated zest of one lime (or two if you love lime like I do)

Make a crust for the bottom:
Preheat oven to 350.
Line a 9 X 13 glass baking pan with aluminum foil, leaving a few inches overhanging the sides.
Pulverize the graham crackers and pistachios in a food processor with the ginger.
Add the butter (in chunks if its cold).
Pulse until blended to a coarse meal.
Press into the bottom of the baking pan.
Bake until golden, 8 minutes or so.
Remove from oven.
Let cool completely.
This will mean waiting 1/2 an hour.

Prepare the filling:
Use an electric mixer to beat the heavy cream, condensed milk and sour cream into thick stiff peaks. This will take 4-5 minutes. Fold in the mint and lime zest. Pour into the baking pan. Use a spatula to smooth it to even depth. Cover and freeze until firm (several hours).

Serving:
When ready to serve, transfer to a cutting board and cut into bars. Makes 18 bars if you make two slices the length of the pan (for 3 long rows) and divide each row into 6 bars.

Variations:
The original recipe in Women's Day that was my inspiration called for a crust of gingersnaps and butter (36 gingersnaps and 1/4 Cup butter). It also called for 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla in the filling.

The original recipe also said they could be kept frozen for up to 2 weeks.
I can't attest to that because it's never taken that long for them to get eaten.