Summer Time Lime Basil Recipe
What would summer be without something cold and refreshing? And, if you have a nice supply of fresh basil, or even better some fresh lime basil leaves; don’t you want a cool recipe to use them with?
How about lime basil sorbet or frozen pops? And, what if you could alter the recipe to fit the kitchen gadgets you already had? Of course, this recipe could just be the best ammunition to convince yourself you need an ice cream maker, blender or new finely-meshed sieve.
Let’s get started.
The ingredients…
- 2 cups of fresh lime basil leaves (you can use sweet basil leaves too), gently packed or a nice-sized, wrapped bundle with stems
- ¼ cup lime juice
- 1 cup sugar – you might want to increase or decrease to taste but changing the quantity may impact how your sorbet will freeze
- 3 ¼ water
The choices for making the juice…
– great blender and #1 best-selling food processor on Amazon.
Method 1 – Blending.
If you would like your lime basil sorbet to have a pretty green color, blanch the basil leaves in boiling water for about 10 seconds. Drain off the water and quickly plunge the basil into cold water to stop the cooking process. Remove the leaves from the cold bath and they’re ready to be turned into a cool, refreshing treat.
Put all of the ingredients, including the 3 ¼ cups of water, into a blender on high speed for about 60 seconds or until smooth. Strain the liquid through a fine-meshed strainer to remove the unblended bits of basil leaves and stems.
Method 2 – Steeping.
If you don’t have a blender or if your strainer may not catch the little blended pieces, you can go old school. Put the sugar and water into a pan and bring to a boil. Once boiling, throw in the lime basil bundle and remove pan from the heat. Let steep for around 15 minutes (longer if you want a stronger basil flavor). Strain. Add the lime juice once the mixture cools. Don’t forget the lime juice or your sorbet won’t be as tasty.
Freezing
Cuisinart ICE-21 Frozen Yogurt-Ice Cream & Sorbet Maker
– the number one selling ice-cream maker on Amazon. Does not require salt or ice.
Method 1 – The easiest way to create a nice, creamy sorbet is to use an ice cream maker. Process until the mixture looks like a firm slushy. Scoop the semi-frozen mixture into a freezer-safe container and freeze until it can be served using an ice-cream scoop.
Method 2 – If you do not have an ice cream maker, you can still create a true sorbet texture. Place the mixture into an air-tight container in the freezer. When it is frozen to a semi-solid state, mash it with a fork and return to the freezer. Once frozen, use a blender or food processor to ‘cream’ up the sorbet. Can be refrozen until served.
Method 3 – Maybe you don’t have an ice cream maker and method 2 just sounds like too much of a nuisance…why not make frozen juice pops? If you already have a set of molds, just pour the lime basil mixture into them, freeze and enjoy.
I went looking on Amazon to see what types of great juice pop molds were on the market to use with this basil lime recipe. Surely, there’s something out there cooler than the one’s we had when I was a kid. After snooping around, it appears while there are some that do offer different shapes and designs, the complaints sound pretty valid. Oh well, so much for super-uber shaped popsicles.
Remember those popsicles that you buy in a box? The ones that are like long and skinny plastic bags? Why not make your own, without the dyes, corn syrup and preservatives that you can’t pronounce? Now you can make your own with these popsicle molds from Amazon! Use for lime basil flavored pops for the kids or maybe alter this basil lime recipe a bit to make decadent treats for adults.
As the picture shows, you can even put fresh fruit in your popsicles. A few white grapes would be a great addition to your lime basil ones.
As far as kitchen gadgets go, you will probably need a funnel.
