Lime Sherbet Infused with Makrut Lime

I made this recipe in anticipation of some hot weather coming our way, but even when it's raining outside, it makes a really refreshing post-dinner dessert, especially when served with vodka or white rum.

Sherbets are a hybrid of ice-cream and sorbet, and I love their sweet and sour taste. You need to make sherbets with citrus fruit to get that really zingy taste, so while I've made this recipe many times with blood oranges, I think pink grapefruit would be delicious too. If you love lemons, and decide to try them here, you might need to adjust the recipe with a little extra sugar to get the right sweet-and-sour balance.

Another nice addition would be lemongrass, which, along with the lime, would make for the most refreshing flavour combination imaginable.

For creaminess, I've used the top of a tin of coconut milk (you can save the remaining liquid for smoothies or porridge), but a good-quality, thick coconut yogurt would also work well.

Ideally, you should use the recommended 1-2 tsp of alcohol, which will stop the sherbet from freezing really solid (as alcohol freezes at a high temperature), and give it the perfect consistency. You can't taste it, but if you're avoiding alcohol, or this dish is for very young children, you can leave it out – just remember to take the sherbet out of the freezer well in advance of serving, so it's scoopable.

You can use an ice-cream machine for ease if you have one, but it's not essential.

SERVES:
08-10

Ingredients
Instructions

Ingredients

2 cups lime juice, from roughly 20 limes

1 cup caster sugar

2 makrut lime leaves (optional)

1 tin coconut milk, chilled, or 1 cup thick coconut yogurt

1-2 tsp white rum or vodka (optional)

Toasted black sesame seeds (optional)

Instructions

If you're using an ice-cream machine, make sure you freeze the cylinder the day before.
Place a small saucepan over a medium-low heat and add half the lime juice, the sugar and the lime leaves, if using. Gently dissolve the sugar, being careful not to let the mixture overheat.
Turn off the heat and, if using the lime leaves, allow the mixture to sit for 5-10 mins so their flavour can infuse into the syrup.
Remove the leaves and pour the syrup, along with the remaining cupful of juice, into a food processor. Add the thick coconut cream from the top of the tin of coconut milk, or the coconut yogurt, and the rum or vodka, if using.
Blitz for a minute or two, until perfectly smooth. Strain through a sieve into a freezer-safe bowl or plastic container, cover and chill for a good 2 hours.
Once the mixture has completely chilled, churn it in your ice-cream maker until you have a soft-serve consistency – this should take around 20 mins.
Empty it back into its container, smooth the top, cover with a piece of baking paper, wrap in cling-film, then freeze until you're ready to serve.
If you don't have an ice-cream maker, skip straight to step 7 then, every hour or so, take the mixture out of the freezer and mix it vigorously with a fork to break up the ice crystals. Repeat until you have a soft-serve consistency.
Remove from the freezer 5 mins before serving, and add a sprinkling of toasted black sesame seeds to each scoop, if you like.