- 4 cups buttermilk
- 6 large lemons
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 cups white corn syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Lemon Buttermilk Sherbet combines this odd pairing of flavors and results in a wonderfully creamy and tart sherbet. With only five ingredients, it requires little more work than grating some lemon peel and juicing a few lemons. You don’t even need an ice cream machine.
I approached this recipe the same way I approach all deserts. I want something that not only complements the meal, but also generates conversation. It should contain no more than two notes and very few ingredients. The meal has ended and the plates have been cleared. This is the time for your guests to really relax. While you would love them to enjoy desert, I have never met a cook or chef who took insult when a guest passed because they simply had no more room. For those that want desert, I want my deserts to be as memorable as the meal.
This lemon and buttermilk sherbet exemplifies my style of desert. Its seemingly simple presentation hides a frozen explosion of flavor that your guests will not soon forget.
When I started to work on this Sherbet I did not want to use an ice cream machine. After a few tries I figured out that for a smooth finished Sherbet, I had to take out most of the sugar and replace it with corn syrup. I also found that while I preferred using whole-fat buttermilk, the flavor profile of the finished Sherbet with low-fat buttermilk was still out of the ball-park.
As a side note, I have tried this recipe a number of times in an ice cream machine. If you prefer that method, you will need to transfer the finished sherbet to the freezer for about an hour before serving to allow it to set up.
Directions:
- Zest enough of the lemon peel to make 2 tablespoons of lemon zest. When zesting the lemon, take care not to get any of the bitter pith – the white flesh right beneath the zest.
- Juice the remaining lemons to yield 1/2 cup of juice.
- Combine the zest, lemon juice, sugar, corn syrup, buttermilk and salt in bowl large enough to hold everything and still small enough to fit into your freezer.
- Place in the freezer, thoroughly stirring it every 30 minutes until it is soft set and ready to serve (about 3 hours). I love to serve this with a thin slice of lemon and a sprig of mint.
Gregory,
I tried this recipe this weekend for a family get-together because I wanted to bring something cool and light after the 20 pounds of protein everyone is normally allotted from the pit. I have to tell you, EVERYONE loved it! I thought that making 2 batches would be more that enough. It wasn’t. I’ve never been one of my family’s pit-masters – my dad and uncles claim that territory and my oldest aunt assigns everyone else an item. I’m one of the younger cousins and typically get assigned a dessert – it’s expected that those of us with that assignment will just pick something up at Albertson’s on the way over and that’s normally perfect because who has room after that much barbeque anyway. But, when I ran across your recipe and saw that I didn’t even need an ice cream machine I figured why not. I just wanted you to know that even after everyone was full-up to the hilt, I was able to steal the thunder with your recipe. It’s really some amazing tasting stuff.
David:
Thanks for the comment. Even though I made this Sherbet over and over again while working on the recipe, I never get tired of eating it. I have a feeling that your aunt might be promoting you from dessert detail next time.