Ingredients
Scale
- 2 cups Water
- 1 cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 cup Fresh Basil Leaves (packed)
- 1 cup Fresh Lemon Juice (strained)
- 1 tablespoon Lemon Zest
- 1/4 teaspoon Fine Sea Salt
Instructions
- Step 1: Combine the water and granulated sugar in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly until the sugar is completely dissolved, creating a simple syrup. Remove from heat immediately.
- Step 2: Add the packed fresh basil leaves and the lemon zest to the hot simple syrup. Stir well, cover the saucepan, and allow the basil to steep and infuse the syrup for 30 minutes.
- Step 3: Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl, pressing gently on the basil leaves with a spoon to extract all residual liquid. Discard the solids.
- Step 4: Whisk the strained lemon juice and the sea salt into the basil syrup base. Cover the bowl and chill the mixture completely in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, or ideally overnight, until it is thoroughly cold.
- Step 5: Pour the well-chilled sorbet base into an ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions (usually 20–30 minutes). Transfer the resulting soft sorbet to an airtight freezer container and freeze for an additional 2–4 hours until firm and scoopable.
Notes
- Store the finished sorbet in the coldest part of your freezer in an airtight container; for best texture and flavor, plan to enjoy it within two weeks.
- If the sorbet is too firm to scoop, allow it to temper on the counter for 5–10 minutes before serving to achieve the perfect silky texture.
- For a sophisticated finish, serve scoops alongside fresh raspberries or shortbread cookies, and garnish each bowl with a tiny fresh basil leaf.
- To ensure maximum basil flavor, make sure you press the steeped leaves firmly during Step 3 to extract every last drop of the infused liquid.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American