Cucumber Sorbet Duo

I was excited when my first batch of pickling cucumbers came in, and I quickly used them all for the Spicy Dill Refrigerator Pickles. I checked my garden a few days ago and only had one small pickling cuke. But there were a couple teeny-tiny growths starting on some of the other plants. Two days later and I’m buried in cucumbers! These refreshing sorbets are an attempt to use up the cucumbers and throw together a quick dessert.

The sorbets were not made with my ice cream maker, but with my good ol’ freezer. Both sorbets are light and the mint makes a great palate cleanser. If you do use an ice cream maker the sorbets will be a bit easier to scoop, plus it will speed up the freezing time.

Note: We separated the two recipes for easier reading, but as you’ll see, it likely makes sense to make them both together (or double either recipe) in order to use a whole number of cucumbers.

Cucumber Mint Sorbet:

• 2 ½ cucumbers; peeled, seeded, and sliced
• 10 medium-to-large mint leaves (more or less to taste)
• ½ cup sugar
• ½ cup water
• juice and zest from one lime

Make the simple syrup first. Take ½ cup of sugar and ½ cup of water. Place both ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat and gently stir the mixture until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

Peel 2 ½ cucumbers, size in half length-wise, and remove all of the seeds. Then slice into chunks.

Place cucumbers and the simple syrup in a blender or food processor. Next add 10 medium-to-large washed mint leaves. Zest the lime into the blender, slice it in half, juice it and add the juice to the blender. Puree until smooth and well combined. Place in a container that has a lid and place into your freezer.

Strawberry Cucumber Sorbet:

• 1 ½ cucumbers; peeled, seeded, and sliced
• 1 cup strawberries, hulled and halved
• ½ cup sugar
• ½ cup water
• juice and zest from one lemon

Again, make the simple syrup first. Take ½ cup of sugar and ½ cup of water. Place both ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat and gently stir the mixture until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

Peel 1 ½ cucumbers, size in half length-wise, and remove all of the seeds. Then slice into chunks.

Next cut strawberries into halves until there is 1 cup of strawberries sliced. Combine strawberries, the simple syrup, cucumber, and the zest and juice from one lemon in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Place in a separate container with lid and move to a freezer.

Give the sorbets a stir every 30 minutes, making sure to break up any ice crystals. Continue checking and stirring the sorbets until frozen solid.