Melon Sherbet

I am officially calling it a series- I mean my frozen concoctions. And if you noticed, I've been making one sherbet after another. But that's precisely why I bought a new ice cream maker. I want to be able to make as many frozen treats as I could this summer. So far I'm enjoying it to the hilt.

These succulent and sweet melons (on sale at Zion Market)is another reason why I'm kind of stuck with sherbets. They're perfect for any cold treat actually but since I'm on a sherbet making spree, here goes:

Melon Sherbet

Ingredients:

two small melons

1/2 cup simple syrup or more to taste

1 cup 2% fat milk

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 cup water

Procedure:

By now you should be familiar with the procedure or you can just refer to my earlier sherbet posts.

Cut the melons in two and scoop the seeds and the fibrous center- set aside in a bowl. 

Slice the melon and cut into small pieces. Reserve some to add while churning(I reserved 1/2 of one melon) then pulse in a blender with simple syrup.

I realized I'll be making a lot of summer treats so I always have simple syrup in the fridge. It's very easy to make- gently boil equal parts of water and sugar, cool and transfer to a jar or bottle for storing. One cup of sugar for a cup of water takes a minute to boil. Just make sure to stir the sugar well until it has fully dissolved in the water as it boils

Press the reserved seeds with the fibrous center into a sieve, gradually washing it off with one cup water until it becomes all white. Add the melon water to the pureed melon. This adds more melon flavor to the mixture. You can now discard the seeds.

Add milk and blend together

Transfer the mix into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Freeze for two hours or until firm but not hard.

Pour into the ice cream maker and churn for 15-20 minutes or until you achieve your preferred consistency.

I added melon strings when it was almost done. You can either serve it soft or transfer to a lidded container to freeze completely.

I just love this sherbet-just a tad creamy; full flavored and refreshing. The melon bits make a lot of difference. I didn't have to add any melon flavoring to boost the flavor; just a little vanilla extract for more depth but not to overpower the melon goodness.