Fresh Lime-Basil Sorbet

I found this recipe a few weeks ago while I was doing some research on different varieties of basil.  One could say I am a little obsessed with the bright, versatile summer herb that can be used for anything from pizza to dessert.

Couple things to note on this recipe:

1. Delicious.

2. You must like lime.

3. You must love basil.

Here's the recipe I found and some of my modifications listed below (pics to follow shortly):

Fresh Lime-Basil Sorbet
1 cup fresh squeezed lime juice (8 to 10 limes)
1 cup water
1 cup simple sugar syrup (1 cup sugar plus 1 cup water, boiled then cooled)
12 whole basil leaves
1 egg white (optional)

Combine all ingredients, except egg white, into a freezer friendly container and freeze 6 to 8 hours or overnight.

Remove from freezer and allow to soften a little. Put chunks of frozen mixture into a food processor and process until all crystals have disappeared and mixture is smooth. Re-pack into container and keep frozen until needed. This will keep for up to 2 months. If you prefer a lighter, less icy sorbet, add 1 egg white during processing.  Yields 4 servings.
(Recipe from Herbal Gardens’ website)

In terms of ingredients, the only thing I modified was adding basil leaves to infuse the simple syrup (I pulled 8 leaves, gave them a quick chop and added to the water sugar mixture before it started to boil) .  Using equal parts sugar to water, I made a little extra syrup because I thought it would be a really tasty topper for fresh strawberries and vanilla ice cream and I wanted to try making a lemonade basil cocktail with it.  More to come on those...

My changes in process included using my handy-dandy Cuisinart Ice Cream and Sorbet maker because I am not a patient person and it helped to speed the process up significantly.  I froze the initial liquid for about 4 hours, transferred to the blender and processed with one egg white and then transferred it to the ice cream maker.  My machine takes about 20-25 minutes to get the sorbet to a good consistency and then it only took about 2 hours in the freezer to get to that right serving temp.  I also like the texture that's created while churning away in the machine.

One last note, I think the 'yields 4 servings' is an understatement.  I was able to pack my quart-sized ice cream freezer container to the brim with the quantities listed above.  Also, because the sorbet is so tart, it is best served as a tasting rather than a heaping  scoop which means you can get a lot more than 4 servings out of this recipe.

One thing is for sure, it is a delicious and refreshing way to kick off summer!

Lime Chicken with Polenta Cakes and Salsa

I look for any excuse to use my new citrus juicer from C & B.  There is something really satisfying about squeezing every last drop of juicy goodness from a lime and this recipe gave me the opportunity, 3 times over.

Lime Chicken marinade (for 2 boneless chicken breasts):

1/2 cup Canola oil

Juice of 2 limes

1.5 tsp cumin

dash of cayenne pepper

1 clove garlic

sea salt and fresh ground black pepper

I let it sit for 30 minutes before throwing on high heat on the grill.

Before I doused the chicken in the marinade, I separated a bit to brush on the polenta cakes (I just added a bit more canola oil to coat evenly).  I found pre-made polenta in the grocery store that you can slice into strips, the flavor and texture turned out surprisingly great.  The marinade was painted on and the strips tossed onto the grill for about 5 minutes on each side to get some good grill marks.

The final piece of this easy and quick meal was the homemade salsa.  I change my recipe every time I make it depending on what's in my fridge, pantry and garden.  Last night I used grape tomatoes (halved), 1 can of Rotel tomatoes with chilis, 1 can of mild chilis, 1/4 white onion (diced), 1/2 avocado, chopped chives, fresh cilantro, lime juice, cumin, hit of cayenne and cracked black pepper.

Um, yum.  Really.  Wanna make it again tonight.