All Natural Orange-Lime Sorbet

How to make Orange-Lime Sorbet

         Last winter, we took a break from the sub-zero temperatures here & sneaked out to the Sunshine state, for a couple of days. It was an awesome trip - check out the pics, below. On our first day we ventured out to a local farm for Orange picking. We chose to pick a seedless variety of Navel oranges.  It was so much fun, strolling through the grove and taking in the fragrance of the Orange blossoms. Our day ended with a 4 x 4 ride through the 2500 acre estate. 

         As we departed on our ride into the farm, I had a feeling that the herd of cows were a bit restless, in anticipation of something; which proved to be right, later on. On our return trip, the driver handed each of us some oranges & asked us to throw the oranges out, for the cows to eat. That was the first time, I had heard of cows eating oranges. My 3 year old wasn't keen on parting with his orange, so I decided to lend a hand and feed a hungry cow. Little, did I know, what was going to happen next - my preschooler started yelling at the cow, who ate his orange - "Hey Cow!! Give me my orange!!" Not once, not twice; it went on for a few minutes - I bet he(cow) understood, what was being asked of him. You should have seen the look on that poor cow's face.... :)

               How is the story related to this recipe, you ask? No, I didn't use the oranges we picked at the farm, 5 months ago....... the 'navel orange' is the sweet ingredient that links my story to the recipe. Getting to the recipe - it's summer time & I wanted to post a recipe that fits the mood. I had a bag of navel oranges lying in the refrigerator; begging to be used. So, here you go, an all natural,  four ingredient, refreshing sorbet, fit for the summer. Just make sure, you increase or decrease the sugar, according to the sweetness of your oranges and enjoy your guilt free, summer treat!!

Ingredients:

1.5 Cups of pulp-free, freshly squeezed orange juice 

(I used about 10 Navel oranges)

1/3 Cup of pulp-free, freshly squeezed lime juice

(I used about 2.5 Limes)

Sugar - about 1/3 Cup
A pinch of Salt

Method:

• Squeeze about 10 oranges and reserve the juice without any seeds or pulp. A few strands of pulp here & there should not be a problem.
• 
• Next, Squeeze the limes to get 1/3rd cup of pulp free, juice and mix it with the orange juice. 
• In a electric blender, add the sugar along with enough juice & run it for a minute, to incorporate the sugar into the juice.  
• 
• Add salt, rest of the juice & blend for another minute. 
• Pour the sweetened juice into a freezer safe, shallow container or a zip lock bag and freeze for about 4-6 hours or until completely frozen. 
• *When the juice is in scraping consistency, break  it into smaller chunks; drop them into the blender/mixer and pulse it couple of times, helping with a fork, to make it smooth. Make sure the whole process is done quickly, to prevent excessive melting of the sorbet.

• Once you have beaten all the chunks into a smoother consistency, refreeze in a metal bowl for several hours, until it's ready to be served. 
• Scoop into a bowl and serve your frozen treat.

Notes: 

• I only used the orange squeezer to strain out the pulp. If you like, you can filter it again to completely remove the pulp.
• *If you are in a hurry, and don't want to wait a few more hours; you can stop after the first freezing and indulge in a Orange Granita. Also check out the all natural Strawberry Granita.
• If you have a Popsicle lover at home, you can easily turn this into a Popsicle, as well.

        This recipe was inspired by another sorbet recipe from the Great Good Food cook book. Sharing this refreshing recipe with my friends over at SriValli's CCChallenge.