Watermelon Sorbet

paula

12 years ago

You can plant a watermelon up above my grave,
And let the juice (slurp) ooze through,
You can plant a watermelon up above my grave,
That’s all I ask of you.

These lyrics are part of my favorite song…when I was six. So, why am I quoting a song I learned in first grade? Well, I loved the song then because it was about my favorite food, watermelon. Today, watermelon is still my favorite food. Yes, just plain, cold watermelon.

However, I occasionally buy watermelon that is not as sweet as I would like or is a little past its prime ripeness…mushy. One way not to waste these melons and make a frozen treat is to turn the watermelon into sorbet.

Since the recipe only takes about one-fourth of a large seedless watermelon, I also use the watermelons we eat for sorbet as well. I would say that it is a good way to use left-over watermelon, but there never is such a thing at my house. Plus, I use the same basic recipe to make honeydew and cantaloupe sorbets.

I make sorbet in my electric ice cream freezer that does not require ice and salt. Although, you do not need an ice cream freezer at all if you are willing to keep scrapping and stirring the sorbet mixture in a pan every 15 to 20 minutes until frozen and then placing it in a blender or food processor to improve its texture. I prefer my ice cream freezer:

Here are some shots of it in action making the sorbet:

Although…I am still a great fan of the ice cream maker that my parents had that does require salt and ice:

Recipe: Watermelon Sorbet

Ingredients

5 cups (about 1/4 large) seedless or seeded watermelon, chopped
3/4 – 1 cup extra fine granulated sugar
2 Tbsp. lemon juice (or lime juice)
1 – 2 Tbsp. vodka (watermelon schnapps, Midori®, or other liqueur of your choice)

Instructions

Puree watermelon in a blender or food processor.
Add sugar, lemon juice, and vodka and process for an additional minute. I use less vodka (or other liqueur if I
Put in refrigerator to chill until cold, about an hour.
Pour into an ice cream/sorbet maker and follow manufacture’s directions to freeze.
Once frozen, either place in a container with a tight fitting lid in the freezer or eat as a slushy or both.

Notes

The amount of sugar and lemon juice are totally dependent on your tastes and the sweetness of the melon that you are using.
The alcoholic beverage keeps the ice crystals smaller, but can be omitted entirely if you wish.
I use less liqueur if I plan to eat the sorbet immediately after removing it because I believe the ice crystal formation tends to become larger when the sorbet is hardened in a dish in the freezer.

Variations

Lime juice may be substituted for lemon.
Fresh mint may be added either as a garnish or chopped directly into the liquid sorbet mixture.