Clodagh McKenna's zesty lemon sorbet

This week, our chef Clodagh McKenna makes a zesty dessert that’s an instant hit at parties
Clodagh McKenna
Clodagh McKenna11 July 2018

With the weather this beautiful, we all want to eat outside and if possible cook in the sunshine too — the streets of London are perfumed with the smells of barbecues this week. You don’t want anything too labour-intensive, though — watching the business end of both the World Cup and Wimbledon should take priority over working hard in the kitchen.

And if you need cooling down or frayed tempers need soothing, it calls for sorbet. This lemon sorbet looks impressive but is actually deceptively simple. It’s just a matter of squeezing, stirring and freezing. Make a batch and store in your freezer for when you need instant refreshment. You can swap lemon for fresh lime or fold watermelon and finely chopped mint into the mix.

It’s a good follow-up for a light barbecue supper or a salad. Try my grilled chilli and lime chicken salad with tahini and watercress dressing.

Serve with a bottle of chilled lightly oaked chardonnay — and raise a glass to England.

Lemon Sorbet

Serves: 8

Preparation time: 10 mins

Cooking time: 5 mins

Ingredients

  • 300g caster sugar
  • 400ml water
  • Juice of six lemons (cut the lemons in half through the centre)
  • Grated zest of two lemons

Method

1. Pour the sugar and water into a saucepan and place over medium heat. Bring to a boil, stirring every few minutes until all the sugar has dissolved.

2. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice and zest. Pour into a large plastic container and let cool.

3. Once cooled, put the sorbet in a freezer, stirring every 30 minutes so that no large ice crystals form.

4. While the sorbet is setting, scoop out the fibers from the halved lemons and slice off just enough of the bottoms of the lemons so that they will stand upright. Put in the freezer.

5. Once the sorbet has set, scoop into the frozen lemon cups and serve straight away.

Follow Clodagh on Instagram @clodagh_mckenna

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