Strawberry Rhubarb Sherbet Recipe

With our garden rhubarb growing like a monster and local strawberries ready at Wegmeyer Farms, we’ve been eating our share of rhubarb and strawberry concoctions. Since frozen desserts top our list of summer favorites, we had plans for making sherbet. After I scooped the sherbet into the freezer container, all four of my boys stood around with spatulas and cleaned out the freezer bowl. They were happy guys and couldn’t wait for the sherbet to finish freezing.

We like the tart taste, due to both our flavorful homegrown rhubarb and a low amount of sugar, which gets some balance from the beautiful and sweet strawberries. Lowfat lactose-free milk works very well in this sherbet, and still gives us all the regular milk nutrients, minus the lactose for those with lactose-intolerance, while saving some calories. And that makes this strawberry rhubarb sherbet a winner for flavor and health benefits.

Recipe Notes

This recipe uses simple syrup, and I keep a squeeze bottle of it in my refrigerator at all times. It’s great for adding a shot of sweetness to tea, cocktails, or other beverages, and it saves time when making sherbets and sorbets.

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STRAWBERRY RHUBARB SHERBET

Makes about 1 gallon.

Equipment

small heavy bottom pot
food processor or heavy duty blender
ice cream machine

Ingredients

SIMPLE SYRUP
1 cup (175 g) granulated sugar
1 cup (240 ml) water

SHERBET
12 ounces (340 g) thinly sliced rhubarb
1/2 cup (120 ml) simple syrup
12 ounces (227 g) strawberries, hulled and halved
2 cups (480 ml) low-fat lactose-free milk

Preparation

1. SIMPLE SYRUP – Combine the sugar and water in the small pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and continue to cook until all of the sugar is dissolved, about 5 minutes. Reserve 1/2 cup of the syrup and transfer the rest to a bowl to cool completely. Store in a plastic squeeze bottle in the refrigerator.

2. COOK THE RHUBARB – Stir the thinly sliced rhubarb with the simple syrup and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, covered, until the rhubarb is very tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature. You can make this one day ahead and store in the refrigerator.

3. MIX THE SHERBET – Process/blend the cooked rhubarb and syrup with the strawberries and lactose-free lowfat milk until smooth.

4. Freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturers directions. Transfer to a plastic freezer container and freeze for about 2 hours before serving. Sherbet may need to sit at room temperature for 5 minutes before serving if it’s hard.