When I was a kid during the summer, my father often made this Pineapple/Buttermilk Sherbet. It's wonderfully fresh and a perfect end to meals consisting of grilled steak, smoked ribs, or fried chicken. Unfortunately, Dad would simply make it and stick it in the freezer until it was a single block of ice so we'd have to let it thaw in our bowls and then drink it more than eat it. In this recipe I avoid that problem by treating it as a sorbet - more work, but worth it. (Larger image.) Serves 4 - 6.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 6 hours
Ingredients:
- 2/3 cups sugar
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh mint
- 1 8-ounce can crushed pineapple
Preparation:
1. Add sugar to buttermilk and stir until dissolved.
2. Stir in mint and pineapple (with juice).
3. Pour into a 9 x 13 pan or 8 x 8 metal or glass pan. Note: It takes about twice as long to freeze the same amount of liquid in an 8 x 8 pan as a 9 x 13.
4. Stir the mixture with a whisk. Do so every 20 minutes for these recipes in a 9 x 13 pan, and every 40 minutes in an 8 x 8 pan. Note: As the mixture gets closer to freezing, regular attention becomes more important because the freezing process speeds up. When the mixture is at the slush point (80 to 90 percent frozen) change from a whisk to a fork for stirring.
5. Use a fork to stir the sorbet again just before serving. This produces mounds of loose crystals.
