Summers are synonymous with lovely fruits like the eternal Mango and Lychees amongst others. I have fond memories of devouring these luscious lychees, enjoying the process of peeling the red covering and then de-seeding the white juicy pulp with the sweet nectar flowing down my elbows. The lychees always needed to be refrigerated for some time to enjoy them even more. Enjoying lychees in Summer time was such a ritual that I never realized that some of the best lychees are found in Calcutta. This realization was conveyed to me by my dear friend Afsana who hails from Bombay. According to her lychees in Bombay are horribly expensive and not as plump and juicy as the ones we find here. Now, I believe in every word on fruits that comes out from Afsana's mouth because she knows them in and out. It was while staying in Hostel that I realized how good she is in picking fruits from the market. She would touch, smell, ponder on them and then buy. She would know how to select a fruit, how to find out if its good or bad at an age where I didn't bother about fruits or vegetables. She would talk about the benefits of eating fruits and encourage spending money on a fruit than other junk food. She truly is my Fruit Guru.
Vaanya, my daughter, has been waiting for Summers to relish Mangoes. Just before the Mango season started she asked me if it was Summers because she knows she can eat the fruit only in that season. This season she has equally, if not more, enjoyed the Lychees. During our vacations in Allahabad, she relished on the peeled, de-seeded and refrigerated lychees that I would very fondly prepare for her almost every day.
Seasonal fruits itch me to put my hands on desserts and this season I wanted to experiment with the lychees. I started with the super easy Sorbet and found it extremely refreshing and a perfect palate cleanser. It just washes down your gut with that lingering taste of the sweet lychees and the lemon and makes you crave for more.
Do try this recipe at least once for its a keeper. I plan to try out the same with a pack of readymade lychee juice for some non- seasonal indulgence. Shall update it here with the experiment soon. Till then enjoy the real thing.
Ingredients :
- 8-10 peeled and de-seeded Lychees
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 cup water
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
Procedure :
Put lychees, sugar and water in a pan and bring it to a boil. Once sugar dissolves, turn heat off and allow the mixture to cool.
With a hand blender, blend the lychees in the pan.
Stir in the lemon juice.
Stir in the lemon juice.
Strain the mixture and transfer to a container and freeze for 3-4 hrs.
Take out and with a fork break the crystals and put the container back to the freezer. Repeat this 3-4 times.
Serve and enjoy.
Note : Try adding grated ginger to the pan with lychees and then blend them all and freeze as per the above instructions.
Happy Sorbet-ing
Amrita
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