Strawberry Lemon Honey Sorbet

Quality sorbet without all the stabilizers or corn syrup. Fresh strawberries are sweetened with a touch of sugar and floral local honey. While fresh squeezed lemon juice adds a beautiful tartness. The surprising ingredient in this recipe is Everclear. Before you think about not using it, the alcohol and the honey prevent the sorbet from creating unpleasant ice crystals and keeps the sorbet soft in your freezer. It's a game-changer to the consistency of the sorbet. Enjoy this lemony, sweet, floral strawberry sorbet. 

Serves: 4-5 people, about 2 pints

Time: 30-35 minutes active time plus overnight to freeze the bowl. 

Ingredients 

• 2 pounds fresh, ripe strawberries 
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice 
• 1/4 cup local honey 
• 1/4 cup Everclear alcohol 

Instructions 

• The night before you want to make sorbet, freeze your ice cream maker bowl for your machine. 
• Wash, de-stem and cut in half the ripe strawberries. Place in a medium bowl with 1/4 cup sugar. Allow the strawberries to macerate in the sugar overnight. I place mine on the kitchen counter covered. If you would prefer, you can also place the bowl covered in the fridge. The sugar will pull out the juices of the strawberries and create a delicious syrup. If your ice cream maker doesn't require the bowl to freeze overnight, then you can let the strawberries sit at room temperature with the sugar for 2-3 hours. 
• After the strawberries have macerated, add your fresh squeezed lemon juice, local honey (I prefer orange blossom honey) and everclear. The alcohol and the honey prevent the sorbet from creating unpleasant ice crystals. Most restaurants use stabilizers or corn syrup to stop this. Also, don't be thrown off by the amount of lemon juice. I love how it creates a refreshing tart bite with the sweetness of the honey, sugar and strawberries. 
• Pulse all the ingredients in a blender until smooth. Strain the liquid into your ice cream maker and follow its instructions to freeze. Store in the freezer and enjoy! 

Recipe Notes: 

The more ripe your strawberries are the better the sorbet. This is a great way to use any ripe, bruised strawberries that are about to go bad.