Strawberry Basil Sorbet

I’d been meaning to make this for a while, because strawberry and basil are two flavours that complement each other very well. I also love herbal simple syrups in sorbets, as I find the refreshing taste both delicate and adding in depth. I remember making a green apple and mint sorbet that I really liked, as well as a blueberry verbena, and last summer, my friends Rob and Jen served me this wonderful watermelon and mint sorbet that reminded me I should make desserts like that more often. I used my rosewater strawberry sorbet recipe as a base to come up with this one, which I loved as well. I used a liberal amount of basil, as the basil bush in the backyard isn’t showing any signs of slowing down! Have fun experimenting with your own flavours!

1 ¼ cups sugar
1 ¼ cups water
a few big handfuls of fresh basil leaves
2 lbs strawberries, washed and hulled
a splash of lemon juice

Put the sugar and the water in a saucepan and heat, stirring, until the sugar is completely dissolved. Take off the heat, throw in the basil, cover and let the simple syrup come to room temperature. Discard basil leaves.

Put the strawberries and lemon juice in the food processor and process until smooth. (You may strain the mixture to remove seeds if you wish.) Add the simple syrup and process again. Freeze according to your ice cream maker’s directions.