Lemon Hibiscus Sorbet
8 large lemons
1 cup superfine sugar
3 hibiscus tea bags
1.5 cups water
0.5 cup mint, stems and leaves
Method of Preparation
Cut the top third off each lemon. Juice both parts to get 1 1/2 cups juice and pulp combined. Use a spoon to hollow out the lemons, discarding the remaining flesh and pith and being careful not to puncture skins. Don’t worry if you can’t get it all out. Shave a little off the bottom half of each lemon so they can sit upright (again, taking care not to puncture the skin) and arrange them in a baking dish, open-side up, so they are snug and balanced. Freeze the bottoms and their lids on separate trays, while you make the sorbet.
Put the lemon juice and pulp, discarding the seeds, into a medium saucepan and add the sugar, hibiscus, and water. Place on medium high heat and simmer for about 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has melted and the liquid is hot. Remove from the heat, add the mint, and let steep for 15 minutes, until the liquid is bright pink.
Strain the liquid through a sieve into a wide container and discard the aromatics. Refrigerate until completely chilled, 1-2 hours. Pour the chilled liquid into an ice-cream machine and churn for 25-30 minutes, or until frozen and smooth. Transfer the sorbet into a piping bag.
Remove the dish of hollowed out lemon bottoms from the freezer. Cut the tip of the piping bag or zip top bag to create a 1 inch opening. Pipe the sorbet into the lemons to come about 2 inches above the rim. Top each with a lemon lid, pushing them down so they are stable, and return to freezer 1 hour before serving.
Works Cited
Ottolenghi, Yotam. “Max and Flynn’s Lemon Sorbet”. Recipe. “Flavor”. Cookbook.