Lemon Champagne Sorbet

We are in the middle of some record heat here in So Cal.  Time I think to make something frozen!

When we were first married, we used to go to this Italian restaurant.  It was in a strip mall, but it had the best food.  When we would go there, we would order one of all of the desserts and share them.  One of my favorites was their lemon champagne sorbet.

That restaurant is no longer there, but I keep remembering the sorbet - and then I figured I could make it!  Sorbet is pretty easy, and I've even made a sorbet with alcohol.  After a bit of trial and error, I made this:



Lemon Champagne Sorbet

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups sparkling wine or champagne
• 1 cup white granulated sugar
• 1 Tbsp light corn syrup
• 1 teaspoon of lemon zest
• 1 1/2 cups fresh squeezed lemon juice (Meyer if you have access to them)

Directions:
Combine champagne, sugar, corn syrup, and lemon zest in a saucepan. Bring to a vigorous boil so that the sugar completely dissolves,and continue to boil for 15 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice.

Chill completely. To do this, pour mixture into a ziploc freezer bag and set the bag into a bowl half-filled with ice water.  Chill until champagne solution is completely cold, refreshing the ice in the bowl if necessary. Or you can cover with plastic wrap and chill in your refrigerator over night. I don't like to wait that long.

Process the chilled mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Transfer mixture to a storage container and freezer in your freezer until firm, at least 6 hours.  While boiling the champagne cooks off some of the alcohol, some still remains and it does take some time to freeze properly.

This sorbet is refreshing, tart and sweet and just a little bit decadent.  A real summertime treat!

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