Lemon sorbet: when life gives you lemons, make sorbet

Every white will have its black, And every sweet its sour. ~ Thomas Percy

This year hasn't been the smoothest of years.  A bittersweet roller-coaster ride of a year.  It's crazy coz so many people I've talked to have also had a lemon of a year too.  Illness, marriage problems, family dramas; not to mention earthquakes, tsunamis and riots: you name it, its happened this year! What was it about twenty eleven?!

This year I've gotten married, passed my first year of med school and celebrated NZ's historic RWC victory but also said goodbye to a dear family friend, my grandma and my uncle. This topsy-turvey year has really driven home for me two important truths:

Fact 1: Life really is like a box of chocolates....dark chocolates.  The bitterness only makes you appreciate the sweetness all the more.  The deeper that sorry carves into your being, the more joy you can contain ~ Kahil Gibran.

Fact 2: Everything happens for a reason so when life gives you lemons, make lemonade...or Lemon Sorbet.

Yesterday we farewelled my uncle at a beautiful memorial service at his old church in Belmont.  It was a stunningly sunny summers day.  Not a cloud in sight.  There were as many laughs as there were tears, as much celebrating as there was grieving.  It was exactly what Uncle Joe would've wanted.

Sometimes, every once in a while, I get all down coz I'm missing all those loved ones who have passed away.  But when I shake out of it (usually with the help of some therapeutic ice cream) I think, actually I'm really lucky to have so many loved ones watching over me, smiling down on me and waiting for me in a big yum cha restaurant in the sky.  

{via sayingimages}

This gorgeous lemon sorbet, like life, is a perfect balance of sweet and sour.  Tangy and puckery, zesty and refreshing, it's like softly frozen lemonade.  Sunshine in a bowl.  It was exactly what I was craving in the baking hot sun.

Plus, I couldn't believe how easy it was to make!  Granted the process is much easier when you have an ice cream maker, but get this, the only ingredients needed are: lemons, sugar and water.   Yip, that's it.  So, if you keep lemons in the pantry, you're only ever an hour away from delicious homemade lemon sorbet.  Stoked!

Lemon Sorbet

From The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz

2 1/2 cups (625 ml) water
1 1/4 cup (250g) sugar
zest of 2 lemons
1 cup (250 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice (took around 4 of the massive lemons from our amazing lemon tree)

1. In a medium saucepan mix 1/2 a cup of the water with the sugar and zest.  Heat on medium heat until the sugar has dissolved, stirring frequently.  Remove from heat and add the remaining 2 cups of water.  Refrigerate till completely cold.

2. Stir the lemon juice into the sugar syrup and freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. Dunzo!