Cranberry Sherbet

I love Christmas cookies as much as the next person but our little sugar stash of holiday treats that can typically hide on top of the fridge without reminding us constantly of its existence is growing by the minute, slowly taking over our counter space…and sanity. We already relocated the boys’ gingerbread houses to the tippy top kitchen cabinet to kick the “Oh I’m walking by why not grab another gum drop…†habit.

This inspired me to take a nontraditional approach to holiday treats and make a batch of Cranberry Sherbet for a festive holiday dessert.  Sherbet is like sorbet in that fruit is the star of the show but sherbet has a bit of dairy making a silky, creamy texture.

I love a lot of things about this recipe – the simple list of affordable ingredients, the fact that there is no actual cooking or baking involved, the make ahead option (just pull from the freezer and scoop!), and the use of bright winter fruit. There is also a fun element of surprise when you pull out a container of Cranberry Sherbet to end a holiday meal – everyone is expecting a rich, chocolatey treat but a bright, tart, scoop of ruby red sherbet truly hits the spot.

I’m also willing to bet most of you have a cup of frozen cranberries hiding someone in your freezer – get those babies out!

CRANBERRY SHERBET

SERVES 4 TO 6

1 cup frozen Dole cranberries

1 cup water

½ cup cane sugar

½ a lemon, juiced

â…› teaspoon salt

¾ cup Dole pineapple juice

¾ cup heavy cream

Combine the frozen cranberries and water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a strong simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Every few minutes, using a potato masher, mash the cranberries into the water so the fruit pops open and begins to release its juices.

While the cranberries are on the stove, combine the sugar, lemon juice, salt, and Dole pineapple juice in a blender. Blend for about 30 seconds, until the sugar is dissolved. Pour this liquid into a bowl and stir in the heavy cream.

Once the cranberries have broken down and the water is a deep pink, remove the saucepan from the heat and pour the cranberry mixture through a fine sieve set atop a bowl. Use a spatula to gently push the fruit into the sieve so you get all the flavor. Stir the strained cranberry liquid into the sherbet base. Set the sherbet mix into the fridge to cool down for 30 minutes.

After the mix has chilled, pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and process until it is the consistency of soft serve ice cream. You may serve the sherbet directly from the ice cream maker or transfer it to a lidded container and place in the freezer for later enjoyment.