Meyer Lemon and Blood Orange sorbets

A couple of weeks ago, I found some wonderful citrus fruits at Whole Foods -- Meyer lemons and blood oranges. I love both of these "designer" fruits, and since they were in season, it seemed like the perfect time to break out the ice cream maker attachment to my mixer. As I peeled and sectioned this amazing fruit, the word sensuous came to mind (in the broadest, most Nigella, sense of the term). The blood orange juice was so thick and exotic, a sweet garnet-colored nectar. The Meyer lemon juice, far sweeter than its traditional counterpart, was mild enough to be drunk straight.

Even the peels were intoxicating. As I discarded them, I was reminded of Nick Carraway's description of Gatsby's parties:

Every Friday five crates of oranges and lemons arrived from a fruiterer in New York-every Monday these same oranges and lemons left his back door in a pyramid of pulpless halves.

Somehow, this symbol of Roaring Twenties excess seemed oddly fitting with the amazing decadence of the beautiful colors of the pulps.

Hours later, the beautiful sorbets came out of the freezer. I modified the recipes by substituting Splenda for the sugar. The lemon sorbet came out a little too tart -- next time I will add additional sweetener. The two recipes worked really well together; the rich sweetness of the blood orange offset the tartness of the lemon. The citrusy colors were so beautiful together, too. I plated them in these amazing chartreuse-colored green apple dessert plates from my uncle's antique store, and garnished with a lime wedge.


From Bruce Weinstein's The Ultimate Ice Cream Book:

Blood Orange Sorbet:

• 2/3 cup sugar (HCW note: I substituted the same measure of Splenda)
• 1 cup water
• 8 large blood oranges
• Juice of 1 lime

Place the sugar and water in a small saucepan and set over low heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves and the syrup is clear. Remove from the heat and cool to room teperature.

To prepare the oranges, cut off the ends of the fruit so they sit flat on a cutting board. Then cut down the sides following the curve of the fruit, removing the rind and the white pith beneath. When the rind and pith are all removed, hold the fruit in one hand over a bowl and use a small paring knife in your other hand to cut between the membranes, letting the clean orange sections fall in the bowl. When all the sections are cut away, squeeze the remaining fruit pulp in your hand to extract any residual juice. Pour the orange segments and juice into a blender (HCW note: I used a food processor) and blend for 10 seconds to chop up the fruit. You should have about 2 cups of juice and pulp. Combine the orange puree, cooled sugar syrup, and lime juice. Cover and refrigerate until cool.

Stir the chilled mixture, then freeze in 1 or 2 batches in your ice cream machine according to the manufacturer's instructions. When finished, the sorbet will be soft but ready to eat. For firmer sorbet, transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze at least 2 hours.

Lemon Sorbet:

• 1-1/2 cups sugar (again, I substituted Splenda)
• 2 cups water
• 1 large egg white
• 3/4 cup fresh lemon juice, about 4 lemons (here, I used Meyer lemons)

Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan and place over low heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves completely. Raise the heat and boil the syrup 1 minute. Remove from the heat.

In a mixing bowl, lightly beat the egg white with a whisk or an electric beater until foamy, about 10 seconds. Slowly beat in the hot sugar syrup. Continue to beat until the meringue cools down slightly. Add the lemon juice. Cover and refrigerate until cold or overnight. The mixture will have foam on top, but it will incorporate into the sorbet when it freezes.

Stir the chilled mixture, then freeze in 1 or 2 batches in your ice cream machine according to the manufacturer's instructions. When finished, the sorbet will be soft but ready to eat. For firmer sorbet, transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze at least 2 hours.