Berry Sorbet for the end of Summer

I’ve been so busy enjoying my summer I haven’t stopped to share it all with you. Every year I find that I take an unplanned blog break. Before I know it, time has passed and days, weeks, and even months have gone by in a blink and I haven’t even found a free hour to post. But let’s be honest, I’ve had plenty of free hours, it’s just that writing didn’t rise to the top of activities calling for attention.

When I do return from my hiatus, it’s that much more exciting and enjoyable all over again. I find that I’ve built up ideas, recipes, and stories that I am excited to share. I have so much respect for bloggers who post consistently day in and out, week in and out. That is just not the type of blogger I am. I think conforming to that type of a schedule would take some of the charm and delight out of it for me.

But let’s get back to summer, now that it’s nearly over. I hope yours was as good as mine! I’ve rediscovered the joy of impromptu recipes and fresh summer meals flavored with the day’s harvested produce, still warm from the sun. For the first time, we have our very own grill and we’ve learned some new grill dishes and refined some classics. Most nights were spent out on our deck, eating by candlelight and lazing about. There’s been no time for photographing as the food was gobbled up quickly, with a glass of wine or frosty beer to wash it all down. Barefoot and relaxed is how many of my summer nights have been. I hope you’ve had some of the same. Meals have focused on being quick, easy, flexible – and enjoying the moment and the company.

I have done some exciting things this summer, including spending lots of time outdoors and visiting farms. With farms, comes fresh produce, and berries! I had my first foray into the world of jamming and canning. I digress. What I did want to tell you about today was something else made with berries.

I finally broke down and purchased a juicer. I’ll tell you all about it in another post and why I chose to purchase the Omega 8006 Masticating Juicer. If you have this or another type of masticating juicer, you might know that it can do much more than make juice. Seriously! You can use it to make extracted pastas, sauces and other delights. We’ve tried a few different items, to much entertainment and mixed success.

The greatest non-juice recipe we’ve stumbled upon has been sorbet. Yes, you read that correctly. We use our juicer to make instant and fresh sorbet. The best part? You don’t even need to go to the farm to pick the berries first, although that is an option. This juice is made with frozen berries. The kind that comes in a bag frozen at the peak of freshness. Hello fresh sorbet at my beck and call!

*This recipe might work in a powerful blender, but as I don’t have such device, I can’t vouch for it.

Creamy Berry Sorbet in a Juicer
2 c. mixed frozen berries (I used a blueberry, raspberry, blackberry mix)
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
5 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. vanilla
1/2 c. less 1 Tbsp. unsweetened original almond milk (if using sweetened or vanilla almond milk, adjust flavorings accordingly.)
1/4 c. chocolate chips (optional)

1. Set up your juicer.
2. In a small bowl add almond milk, vanilla, sugar and salt. Stir until everything is dissolved.

3. Put frozen berries through juicer. You may need to use the pusher to get them all through. The berries should come out as smooth frozen shreds.

4. Add almond milk mixture to berry mush and quickly stir to combine.

5. Add chocolate chips and give one last quick stir.
6. At this point, you can eat your sorbet, although it may be a little soft, depending on the how quickly you’ve executed everything and how hot it is in your kitchen. Alternatively, place in a container and freeze for a few hours.
7. Serve and enjoy.