Blackberry-Strawberry Sherbet

Raise your hand if you can’t wait for Winter to be over? Me, too.

I couldn’t resist stocking up on berries at Sunflower Farmer’s Market over the last few weeks. They were having such a great sales on berries. (Although the strawberries left quite a bit to be desired…) Once we ate our fill, I froze some, made jam, and a few other things.

This recipe, yet another adaptation from Cooks’ Illustrated, is one of the best recipes for sherbet. It stays soft enough to scoop right out of the freezer and is just tart and creamy enough to feel richer than it is. (I also made killer plain strawberry sherbet. Stay tuned for it.)

Blackberry-Strawberry Sherbet
adapted from Cooks’ Illustrated

Ingredients:
2 cups strawberries, hulled and quartered
2 cups blackberries
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup water
pinch salt
juice of 1 lemon
2 Tbsp. vodka**
3/4 cup cold heavy cream

Instructions:
Place the berries, sugar, water, and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a soft boil over medium-high heat. Cook just until the blackberries start to pop and release their juice.

Transfer the berries and liquid to a blender. Gently pulse the berries to break them up and then puree until smooth. (Be careful here–hot liquid and tight blender lids can lead to burns and splatters!)

Strain the puree through a fine mesh sieve into a clean bowl. Press and scrape the solids along the bottom of the sieve to get as much puree as possible; leaving only seeds behind.

Add the lemon juice and vodka. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator until very cold. (About 3 hours.)

In a separate bowl, whisk the cold heavy cream until soft peaks form. While whisking, carefully pour a steady stream of fruit puree into the cream. Keep whisking until all the fruit puree has been added.

Turn on your ice cream maker and while it’s running, pour the cream/fruit mixture through the feed hole. Churn according to manufacturer directions. Transfer finished sherbet to a plastic bowl with a tight-fitting lid. Freeze for a few hours until firm before serving.

Makes about 1.5 quarts.

**You don’t have to use the vodka, but it helps keep the sherbet softer and easier to scoop.