Lemon & Lime Basil Sorbet

 Truth be told, when the idea came up of making a palate cleanser as one of the courses for our Gourmet Garden dinner party, I wasn't sure where to position it in the order of things. I decided to place it at the end of the main meals, and to wean everyone of all  things savory before dessert was served (as the dessert to me, of course, is the be all and end all). I love my sweets. Any wonder I couldn't go on the herb blog-off without incorporating sweets into the deal?
My mother in law found this delightful and refreshing recipe in her ice cream maker cookbook. I adapted it a bit, as I ran out of lemons (where is a lemon tree when you need one? Oh wait. That's right, I kill everything I try to grow.) I used the few limes to make up the rest of the lemon juice required, so now it's citrus and basil sorbet instead of lemon basil sorbet. Which reminds me, lemon basil is incredible...If you ever happen to get your hands on some, its beautiful in both sweet and savory dishes. Don't ask what happened to my lemon basil plant, please.
You will love how refreshing this sorbet is and how wonderfully the fresh citrus flavours intermingle with the basil. Did I mention basil is my favourite herb? I cut some from the garden (practically the only leaves that had not become inhabited by my creepy crawly fiends) to garnish, and the smell lingered in the house for hours. So refreshing!

Course 4:

LEMON & LIME BASIL SORBET (Adapted from Cuisinart ice cream recipe book/manual)

3 cups water
2 cups granulated sugar
2 tbsp. lemon zest
1 tbsp. Gourmet Garden Basil paste
 pinch salt
2 1/2 cups lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1/2 cup lime juice, freshly squeezed

Place the water, sugar and zest in a medium saucepan, over a medium heat. When the sugar has dissolved, remove from the flame and set aside to steep for half an hour. Add the citrus juice and strain the mixture through a fine sieve. Discard the remnants caught in the sieve.
Set the juice aside in the refrigerator over night, or for 3 hours at least.
Pour mixture into the frozen ice cream bowl and follow the instructions for your ice cream maker. The sorbet should churn for about 15-20 minutes, or until it reaches desired consistency. Freezing for 2 or more hours will give a firmer consistency if desired. Remove from freezer 10 minutes before serving to thaw.
Makes 8-10 cups

NOTES: You can substitute the basil paste for 1 1/2 cups packed fresh basil leaves. Lime juice is also optional. 3 cups of lemon juice is just as good!