Persian Lime and Sage Sorbet

My wife and I attend a monthly meeting with other couples. During this past meeting, one of the couple had brought up how one of their relatives made a dessert out of basil. That inspired me to think of the classic lemon/basil combination. However, these days, that combination is so overused, that it has become rather boring to me. It is like the molten chocolate cake…you see it everywhere. So I thought, how can I create something similar? Then it came to me one night at the grocery store – limes and sage.I used Persian Limes for this sorbet. They remind me of key limes, but without that bitter pucker. Persian Limes are aromatically spicy and fragrant. I like the combination of the slightly peppery, flavorful profile of sage – it’s medicinal properties only make it more interesting.

I started by juicing two pounds of fresh Persian Limes, that I then passed through a fine mesh sieve, to rid the pulp. Meanwhile, I boiled water and sugar to make the simple syrup. After a minute of boiling, I removed the simple syrup from the heat, and allowed the fresh Sage leaves steep and infuse in the hot syrup for 30 minutes.

The syrup was then cooled in the freezer for one hour. Once cooled, I mixed in the Persian Lime juice along with two ounces of Cointreau. The Cointreau tones down the intensity of the sage, and compliments the Persian Limes ever so lovely.

Persian Lime and Sage Sorbet

Ingredients:

12 oz Persian Lime juice, passed through a fine mesh sieve, about 2 lbs of fruit

2 cups sugar

3 cups water

1/2 oz fresh sage, with stems

2 oz Cointreau

Directions:

1. Wash the limes well and lightly roll and press the limes against your counter surface with the palm of your hand to loosen the juice.

2. Cut the limes in half. Using gloves to protect your hands, juice the limes with a manual citrus juicer, an electric citrus juicer or by simply squeezing the juice out by hand.

3. Meanwhile, bring the water and sugar to a boil for one minute. Remove from heat, and add the sage. Allow the sage to steep for 30 minutes.

4. Remove the sage, and discard. Place the syrup in the freezer for one hour. Place the pulp-free lime juice in the refrigerator.

5. Once cooled, add the lime juice and Cointreau to the syrup.

6. Freeze in an ice cream maker, according to the manufacturers instructions.