Cherry Limeade Sorbet

With the summer weather arriving and being warmer in Alaska than we expected (High of 90 degrees Fahrenheit in Anchorage today), I wanted to make a treat for my family that was cold, refreshing, and flavorful. We always enjoyed the flavor of Cherry Limeade on a hot summer day when we lived in Oklahoma, so I decided to make some. It's a fairly simple recipe, with the hardest part being pitting the cherries, and brings out one of the best frozen flavors known to man (well, this man at least. ;p)

For this recipe, you will need:

About 2 pounds (just shy of a Kilogram) of Sweet Cherries

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup sugar

1 12 fluid ounce Frozen Concentrated Limeade (Thawed)

A bowl for pitted cherries (preferably one that won't stain with cherry juice)

A medium saucepan

A blender

An ice cream maker

Depending on how you approach this, it could take some time. Here are a few different ways to do this:

1. Use a stiff straw.
   • If you have kids, you probably have a few cups with reusable straws around. You can use one of these to push the pit through from the side of the cherry.
2. Use a chopstick.
   • If you enjoy Asian Cuisine, you can use a chopstick the same way as a stiff straw to push a pit through the cherry.
3. Use a cherry pitter.
   • If you have one this is the easiest method.
4. Cut your cherries.
   • This is how I did it. Arguably the messiest method, but it worked well. Cut your cherries in half and pick out the pit.

As you pick out the pits from your cherries, place the cherries in a bowl and discard the pits.

I a medium sized saucepan, combine the pitted cherries, the sugar and the water. Bring the whole mixture to a boil and let it simmer for about five minutes or until the cherries have softened and the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.

Put the cherry mixture and the limeade into a blender and blend until mixed. You get to decide how much you use the blender here. If you like chunks of frozen cherries in your sorbet, only blend a little. If you like a smooth sorbet, blend it until all the cherry chunks have been liquified. Put this concoction into the fridge and let it rest for about four hours.

Put the chilled mixture into an ice cream maker and follow the directions for your particular maker. If you would like to make sure it stay a little on the soft side (read: scoopable), add a tablespoon of liquor into the ice cream maker. After about an hour in the ice cream maker, I like to chill it in the freezer for an hour or so to stiffen it up just a little.

Place a couple of scoops into a serving bowl. Maybe add a mint leaf for presentation and enjoy.