French Inspired Watermelon Sorbet

Today we have a recipe from Karen who writes over at Family Travels on a Budget.

You might remember her from a previous guest post: How to take a vacation on a budget. If you haven’t checked out that post, do so. It’s packed with GREAT travel info!!

French Inspired Watermelon Sorbet

When my kids were little, I felt compelled to bring home souvenirs from wherever we went. We got stuffed animals, t-shirts and coffee mugs… the standard stuff. Now that I’m older, and I might argue wiser (at least a little), I realize that the best travel souvenirs are the memories. Like holidays, our vacation memories are often tied to food. So now we have a collection of recipes inspired by our travels.

In Paris for spring break, we discovered Berthillon, a small shoppe serving homemade ice cream in the heart of Paris. Berthillon offers indoor and outdoor seating as well as a walkup ice cream stand. We opted for the walkup stand, ordered our cones — mine was a creamy white chocolate and strawberry sorbet double scoop. We sat on the stone wall overlooking the Seine as we savored the sights, sounds and flavor of the city. I can’t really describe adequately the charm of the sun-dappled river, motorbikes whizzing along cobbled streets, or the old accordionist entertaining passers-by on the bridge all of it in the shadow of Notre Dame. It’s just one of those moments, you know, when you want to pinch yourself and ask is this really happening to us? It honestly felt like we’d stepped onto a movie set — yet, it was real.

As you might guess, we brought home a renewed appreciation for ice cream and purchased an ice cream maker (the ice cream making attachment for the Kitchenaid stand mixer) — our hope, to capture the flavors of French ice cream. We’re still perfecting our rich, French cream custards, but we have mastered a watermelon sorbet, a perfect recipe for leftover watermelon. Or, just buy a whole one and make a whole bunch. It’s that good… and that easy!

Easy French-inspired Watermelon Sorbet

1. Prep Time: 30 minutes
2. Cook Time: 5 minutes
3.  Freeze Time: 3 or more hours (The flavor and texture improve the longer it sits)
4. Total Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients:

• 4 1/2 cups seeded and pureed watermelon, divided: 4 cups and 1/2 cup
• ½ cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Preparation:

In a small saucepan, bring ½ cup watermelon puree and the sugar to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar, and remove it from the heat. Add lemon juice and allow the mixture to cool for 20 minutes. Stir the remaining 4 cups fresh watermelon puree to the melon-lemon-sugar mixture, and then freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Store in an airtight plastic container with lid. Freezes well (and lasts a few days — probably more, but we always eat it before then). To serve, scoop into cones or bowls and garnish with fresh mint (optional).

Makes 8 servings.

As they say in France, bon appetit!

Post written by Karen Dawkins, developer and lead writer at Family Travels on a Budget, where she shares family travel planning tips, savings ideas, links to great travel resources, recipes and more. Stop by her site to learn more about how travel can fit your budget too!