Last week a colleague from our new department in KSU stopped by my office and asked if I liked raspberries.  No need to think much about the answer! It turns out that he is an amazing gardener, and a very active member of the Manhattan Community Garden, a project that started in 1974 and never stopped growing. Small plots of land are rented to whoever wants to grow fruits or vegetables. The city provides the water, tools, and a lot of advice. You can read more about it here. Maybe one day Phil and I can join and become better gardeners… 😉

Back to berries. A few hours later, our colleague comes back with a big box of raspberries, still warm from the sun!  I know, I know, everyone should be so lucky!  I wanted to put them to good use, so I made a delicious raspberry sorbet. Phil and I bravely fought over the last spoonful a few evenings later.   😉

RASPBERRY SORBET
(from the Bewitching Kitchen)

4 to 5 cups raspberries
1 cup fresh blueberries (optional, see comments)
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup water
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Make a simple syrup by heating the sugar with the water in a saucepan (or microwave) until the sugar is fully dissolved.  Allow it to cool, no need to refrigerate.

Place the raspberries  in the bowl of a food processor  and process until very smooth, stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl once or twice.  Pour the puree through a fine-mesh strainer and strain the mixture, pressing down  and scraping the inside of the strainer with a silicone spatula.  You will need a little more than 2 cups of smooth puree.  If you don’t have enough, you can use blueberries to bring the volume up.

Whisk the simple syrup and the lemon juice into the raspberry purée. Cover and refrigerate until cold, at least 3 hours.  Pour the mixture in your ice cream maker and process it according to the instructions of your machine.  Once the sorbet is ready, place it in a container and freeze for a few hours before serving.