Something a little tart for a loved one this V Day

I never wrote about our tart treat.  The 'Seriously Lemon Lemon Sorbet'.  So good Nigel named it twice!  It is on pages 45 - 47 of Nigel's The Kitchen Diaries III.

It was meant to be cooked on February 10 but was cooked on February 13 as part of an early Valentine's supper.  Valentines Day this year was spent with 16 adults, 8 toddlers and 3 babies, as you do. We were celebrating our toddler's 2nd birthday and every good kid's party needs cake and my friend and I rustled up this little beauty (again, I am hoping this will make a feature in Nigel's future books!!)

Anyways, on to the night before of the day before.  I quite like Valentine's Day.  Before you all leave me in droves (ok so just my mum who is reading this...) what is not good about an excuse to eat dinner with pal, loved one, family, etc. There is a pressure, I get that, but turn that pressure into a positive.  No one wants to be alone on Valentine's Day so make it an excuse to do something.  I have had Valentine's Days with all sorts of people and now it is a wonderful excuse to do something nice with my husband.  This year, an excuse to cook a lovely supper and to round it off with a Nigel recipe (the other man in my life at the moment).

So, on to the lemon sorbet.  I will be honest I was slightly freaking out about this.  I do not have an ice cream maker and Nigel's recipe kindly prepares for this inevitable eventuality.  He also speaks of using a Bergamot Lemon.   I was unable to track these down, I probably would have been able to get them in Borough Market though.  However, Nigel says you can use the common garden lemon, so that is what I did.  The recipe says 8 - 10 lemons and I ended up using 10 to get the required amount of liquid.  You also need to make a syrup.  Remember it is ready when it goes clear:

I know, I always say this but this is a surprisingly easy recipe to bring together.  When you bring the lemon juice and sugar together it tastes like amazing homemade lemonade.  The stuff you would buy from the side of the road in America.  Although probably not as sugary as I love tart lemon things, and held back on the syrup so that it has the effect of making you slightly wince when you eat it. Always a good look on Valentine's Day! ; )

So, after the first freeze it looks like this:

Second freeze like this (probably should have taken it before now but I forgot!):

And finally served in a small glass tumbler with a little shot of vodka poured over the top.  A cheeky addition of my own which made it like a very grown up slush puppy.

This is very much a grown up dessert and one that would be great for a dinner party.  You can make it ahead in the morning and just pull it out of the freezer when you need it in the evening.  Delicious!

JanieCooksNigel

16/02/16