This homemade ice cream — or sherbet to be exact — is the perfect sweet dessert for the upcoming spring and summer months.
Refreshing and full of seasonal flavors, this sherbet is made with mint, lime, and ripe honeydew melon. Just a touch of cream goes a long way in this cool dessert to create a luxurious texture while the tequila helps keep it soft in the freezer.
Refined enough for an elegant dinner, yet simple enough for an anytime pick-me-up, this sherbet is sure to impress!
Homemade ice cream gets a bad rep for being too labor intensive and time consuming; but I promise that this recipe will change the way you view homemade ice cream, sherbets, and sorbets.
One thing I recommend investing in is a counter-top ice cream maker. I use a Cuisinart and I love it, but there are definitely others out there and most are reasonably priced.
Once you have the equipment you need it’s unbelievably easy to whip up a batch of ice cream. This recipe in particular takes 5 hours total; most of due to chilling and freezing. Hands-on time for this recipe is only 10 minutes — my point exactly for how easy it is.
Another great thing about this recipe is that it is so versatile. Don’t like honeydew melon? Would rather use mango or use basil instead of mint? No problem!
As long as the base stays the same and the amounts aren’t altered you can make your own variations.
So the next time you’re in need of an elegant dessert or simply want a sweet treat, try your hand at homemade sherbet; I promise you’ll be hooked!
Cheers to spring and summer being just around the corner!
Honeydew, Lime & Mint Sherbet
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 5 hours
- Total Time: 5 hours 10 mins
- Yield: 1½ pints
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup sugar
- ⅔ cup water
- ⅓ cup packed mint leaves
- 3 cups peeled, seeded, and diced honeydew melon
- 2 teaspoons lime zest
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- Pinch of kosher salt
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons tequila
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, bring sugar and water to a boil, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Turn off heat and add mint; steep for 15 minutes. Strain syrup through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl; discard mint solids. Refrigerate mint syrup until cold, 15-20 minutes.
- Purée melon, lime zest, lime juice, salt, and mint syrup until smooth, in a blender. Transfer to a large bowl and stir in cream and tequila; cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.
- Churn melon mixture in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions.
- Meanwhile, chill a loaf pan in the freezer until ice cream is done churning. Transfer ice cream to chilled loaf pan, wrap in plastic wrap and foil; freeze for at least 2 hours.
Notes
Sherbet will keep for up to two weeks, but avoid thawing and refreezing as this creates crystals in the sherbet.
For homemade ice cream or frozen yogurt I prefer, and love, my Cuisinart ice cream maker. If I have the room, I like to keep the freezer bowl in my freezer for the duration of the summer. That way, when I get a hankering for something cool and sweet I’ve got everything ready!