Grapefruit Basil Sorbet
Celebrating the new year with a treat you can feel good about eating, Grapefruit Basil Sorbet.
Happy 2016! I hope I find you fully recovered from your New Year’s Eve party, and another year healthier, wealthier, and wiser.
I’m refreshed and ready to dive into a new year of fabulous dishes, accompanied by butt-busting workouts!
For me, comforting holiday dishes generally equal extra curves. So I’ve vowed to clean up my act, with health conscious meals over the next fews weeks… And pick up my workouts where I left off in early December.
The only problem is, I need dessert. Like air.
I’m not going to tell you that I will completely eliminate sweets. It’s just not possible.
Solution? Lighter, leaner treats. I’ll just think of it as a personal challenge this month.
My sweet hubby got me a new ice cream machine for Christmas. Our old machine bit the dust last spring and I managed to make it through the summer and fall without one.
We decided to give it a spin, starting with a light lemon sorbet. Only, there were just 2 lemons in the fridge. Not nearly enough for sorbet.
Instead we used freshly squeezed grapefruit juice, and HOLY HEAVEN, was it good! Dare I say better than plain lemon sorbet?
This delightfully addictive grapefruit basil sorbet offers a slightly bitter and tart bite, balanced by fresh sweet basil leaves.
It makes your tongue dance a little jig! In fact, Grapefruit Basil Sorbet is so lovely, I would consider giving up chocolate for it. (Please don’t hold me to that.)
Did you know grapefruit helps shrink your stomach, so you feel full?!
Grapefruit Basil Sorbet is fat free, dairy free, gluten free, vegan, utterly delicious, and tricks you into feeling full. You can even make a paleo version by using coconut palm sugar.
You can enjoy it all month when you need a little sweet bite to get you through your day of salads. I’d say that’s a win on all levels.
Take that, January diet.
Grapefruit Basil Sorbet
Ingredients
- 4 large ruby red grapefruits, juiced
- 2 cups water
- 1 3/4 cups organic cane sugar or palm sugar
- 2 lemons, zested and juiced
- 1 cup basil leaves, packed
- pinch salt
Instructions
- Bring the water and sugar to a boil in a small saucepan. Once boiling, add the lemon zest, basil leaves and salt. Stir, remove from heat, and cover. Steep the basil leaves in the simple syrup for at least 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, add the lemon juice to a 4-cup measuring pitcher. Juice the grapefruits into the pitcher until you’ve measured 3 cups of combined juices.
- Strain the simple syrup and discard the basil leaves. Then mix the syrup with the juice. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours (or to speed up, put in the freezer for 1 hour.)
- Pour the sorbet mixture into an electric ice cream maker. Turn on and mix for 20+ minutes, until the mixture reaches a “soft serve” consistency.
- Eat the sorbet immediately, or put in an airtight container and freeze. After frozen, allow the sorbet to sit out for 10-15 minutes to soften before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Looking for more healthy treats? Try these!
Paleo Nut Bars with Chocolate Drizzle
Gorgeous and guilt free! Thank you!
This combination sounds so unexpected and yet, so tasty! Even though it's freezing cold here (and I know it doesn't even begin to compare to your winter), I still really really want this. Oh, and an ice cream maker of course! Happy new year, friend :)
I love grapefruit everything – even perfume!!! What season is it where you live? I have to ask, because it is definitely too cold for this now, but it is definitely on THE LIST!
I have an ice cream maker (or two) and am excited about this!
:)
valerie
I know this rocks, I made a similar versions, but aren't grapefruits awesome at this time of the year, we are buying them by the bagloads, oh butt busting workouts..I need to really vamp up my workouts..loved your last post, just commented and loved your reasons ,take care
sweetlife
Wow, what a delightful dessert – light and guilt free! A unique combination of grapefruit and basil, excellent!
what a perfect dessert to compensate for all the extra cookies we had over the holidays! Grapefruit is truly an underused fruit, and when its good its really good! I hope to see many new frozen creations from you this year!
Cheers
Dennis
This is a good one ! Have a Great 2011 Sommer !
beautiful dessert happy new year
Wow, what a gorgeous recipe…these flavors would be so splendid :) Speaking of…you got an ice cream makes, so cool! (pardon the pun)
Ehehehe….butt busting workouts. ;) Love the flavors you picked for your sorbet. So tasty.
I saw this on your Facebook and thought the flavors sounded like such an amazing combination. So good!
Ooo this looks amazing. I wonder how it would turn out with honey instead of sugar? Yum!
Ha! You need dessert just like air. ;-) I love that.
This looks so good!
I wish your 2011 filled with love, good health and happiness!
Angie
This is so flippin' pretty! Yum. Like you, I NEED dessert. Which is why I make so many low carb things, so I can still indulge without sending myself into a diabetic coma ;)
Oh my, I love sorbet and this recipe sounds really gooood. Never thought of making it with grapefruits, but now I will! Thank you for sharing!
Sounds good to me! We purchased an ice cream maker in the fall but haven't used it much. This would be a good recipe to try. Happy New Year, Sommer!
I can only imagine how flavorful and refreshing this must taste. We adore grapefruits, and I know that this sorbet would be just perfect. Thank you for sharing this recipe with me. I hope you have a lovely start to your week!
I have to be another one to say that I love desserts just as much as you and I could never eliminate them from my meals! This sorbet looks delicious.. I love grapefruit.. I'm so glad I got Mountain Man an ice cream maker for Christmas last year :)