This recipe began many years ago as a car air freshener. I will explain that bizarre statement. The lavender-lemon Yankee Candle air freshener (“car jar”) was my first experience of lavender and lemon together. I figured if they smelled amazing together, they would taste amazing together. They did! At some point along the way I figured out that mint should join the party, but I have no recollection of how that happened.
This sorbet is so refreshing, it’s like summer in a bowl. The flavors are delicate, yet complex. Sweet, tart, floral, herbal, all at once. And because it’s made with pantry ingredients, you can make it easily whenever you want!
Ingredient Notes
- Dried lavender flowers are more widely available than they used to be, but if your grocery store doesn’t carry them, you can order them online. Penzey’s is my favorite.
- Dried mint should be easy to find. If you have the choice, use spearmint over peppermint.
- For the lemon juice, you can use fresh or bottled. No shame.
- For the agave or honey, use whatever you prefer. I love the taste of honey, but if you want to keep the sorbet vegan, stick with agave.
- If you don’t need the sorbet to be vegan, you can add the optional collagen, which will also make the texture a bit smoother.
More Floral, Herbal, and Citrus Flavors
Lavender Ice Cream (dairy free)
Rose and Mint Ice Cream (lactose free)
Rose-Hibiscus-Cardamom Frozen Yogurt (lactose friendly)
Ginger, Lemon, and Tahini Ice Cream (vegan)
Lemon, Rosemary, and Olive Oil Ice Cream (dairy free)
Ingredients
Instructions
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STEEP THE HERBS
Add the water, sugar, agave (or honey), lavender flowers, mint, salt, and collagen (if using) to a sauce pan and bring to a low simmer on the stove. Then turn off the heat and let the herbs steep for 20 minutes.
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STRAIN OUT THE HERBS & ADD THE LEMON JUICE
Pour the mixture through a strainer into whatever container you'll be using to chill the sorbet base. Stir in the lemon juice.
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CHILL
Chill in the refrigerator for 8 hours or overnight.
For a quicker chilling time, place the bowl containing your mixture in an ice bath (a larger bowl containing ice water) for a few hours. Stir the mixture occasionally. As the water in the ice bath warms up, pour off some water and add ice to keep the mixture chilling as quickly as possible.
Ideally, the mixture will be about 40 degrees when you churn it.
(The picture shows a small test batch. A full recipe will be a much larger volume.)
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CHURN
Before you start churning, set up everything you'll need to quickly transfer the sorbet from the machine into a container for freezing. I use a knife to scrape down the dasher (or paddle) and a wooden spoon to scoop out the sorbet.
Set up your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's directions. Scoop your mixture into the ice cream maker and churn. In my machine the perfect churning time is 15 minutes, but your experience may vary.
It's finished churning when it looks like the consistency of soft-serve and is pulling away from the sides of the canister.
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STORE
When the sorbet has finished churning, scoop it as quickly as possible into your storage container. Cover it with plastic wrap or parchment paper, if using. (Placing a sheet of parchment paper between the container and lid will help prevent frost, or you can press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the sorbet.) Put the container in the freezer. The sorbet will be fully firm in a few hours.
Note
Optional additions:
- 1-2 tablespoons of alcohol -- Adding alcohol improves the texture and scoopability of the final product and gives a little kick of extra flavor. Gin or rum would be good choices.
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