Blackberry sherbet is the ideal seasonal dessert. Fresh summer blackberries are blended with sugar and buttermilk before being churned in the ice cream maker. Sherbet is different than ice cream because it has a lower butterfat content (usually between 1-2 percent). This is the basic recipe for sherbet and you can interchange the blackberries with any other sweet seasonal fruit. You can also mix in additional flavorings like herbs.
Ingredients:
4 cups fresh or frozen blackberries
2 cups sugar
2 cups well-shaken whole buttermilk
Directions:
If the berries are full of tough seeds, remove seeds by forcing berries through a food mill or a mesh sieve into a large bowl. If berries are mostly seedless, place them in a large bowl. Stir in sugar and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. In the work bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade, puree berry mixture. Pour into a large glass or metal bowl.
Whisk in buttermilk. Cover and refrigerate until mixture is very cold, at least 4 hours, then stir well. Freeze sherbet in a gel-type ice-cream freezer according to the manufacturer's instructions. The sherbet will be soft, like a thick milk shake. To freeze hard enough to scoop, transfer to an airtight container, press plastic wrap directly onto the surface, and freeze until firm.
Image Sources:
