In the summers, we live on fruit. I add it to green salads, make fruit salads, every kind of fruit dessert, quick bread and sangria I can think of… speaking of keep your eyes peeled for my favorite summer sangria recipes just as soon as I can stop making test batches ;) . But back to fruit. I keep bowls of peaches, apricots, clementines (they are technically out of season, but summer makes me crave citrus), cherries, figs, and anything else I can get my hands on all over our kitchen and dining room. In fact, in the summer, my dining room table centerpiece is a bowl of fresh fruit. But well…. we are just two people, and no matter how creative I get, we always seem to have some go bad before we get to them.
Now, my husband is an ice cream fanatic. And I mean fanatic. I do not know anyone else that eats ice cream daily (especially not anyone as trim and in shape as he is). But something about summer makes me not so into the idea of dairy. Except for a splash of skim in my iced coffee, or my morning cafe creme with salted Brittany butter on my baguette,… and of course, I still eat cheese every day! Okay, maybe I do still eat a lot of dairy, but nevertheless on a hot summer day, I am not looking for a creamy ice cream cone. But if you know me, you know I live for slushies, icees, slurpees, whatever you call it, if it’s a frozen drink, I. Am. There. I have an old school “Slush Mug” that will turn just about any beverage into a slush and you can get a similar one here. But today, I discovered something so delicious and perfectly summer, I literally put down my bowl to grab my laptop and write about it. It’s that good. And even better - Its SO easy.
If you have read any of my other food posts, you already know my love of flexible, simple recipes, but this one might just be the easiest of all.
A few things to note:
You can use literally any summer fruit (the higher the water content the harder it will freeze tho, so things like watermelon will be a little less smooth and a little more ice-cube-y). I give my winning combo below, but you can really substitute anything. I am thinking of a pineapple/mint/brown sugar combo next.
Make sure the fruit is ripe. Maybe even a little over-ripe. The riper the fruit, the less sugar you need to add.
You can theoretically use a sweetener instead of sugar, but I am not a fan of any of them. I would rather have a touch of the real thing or none at all. And don’t even get me started on stevia. It gives me sores on my tough and tastes too sweet in my book.
Get creative! Add fresh herbs or a little coconut cream or whatever else sounds just right to you.
Don’t feel like you have to peel fruit. As you might know by now, I am lazy and this is unnecessary to me. BUT make sure you wash everything well.
Simple Summer Sorbet
Ingredients
3 Peaches, sliced
15 Strawberries, tops removed
10 Cherries, pitted
approx 1/4 - 1/2 cup sugar (depending on taste; I used even less)
1/2 T Lemon juice (or to taste)
Fresh basil & mint finely chopped.
In a food processor, add peaches, strawberries, and cherries. Pulse to puree until smooth. Add sugar and lemon juice. Pulse again to mix.
Pour into a medium-sized, freezer safe, rectangular baking dish. I used my favorite “lasagna” dish that I use for everything.
Sprinkle fresh herbs on top and run a knife through (like you would a marble cake) to slightly submerge them so they don’t wilt and brown in the freezer.
Freeze for 2-3 hours until set and enjoy! I recommend serving topped with a bit of champagne and enjoyed on your patio.
It really is the easiest thing ever and a great thing to do with kids on a hot summer day and you can easily pour into popsicle molds for a kid-friendly shareable version (or an easy summer cocktail).