Buttermilk Sherbet

Buttermilk? As a dessert? Really? And isn't it spelt sherbert? Yes buttermilk, with a lot of lemons makes a great dessert. Really. And no, funny story, it's actually spelt sherbet. I was a bit confused at first, but "sherbert" is a very common misspelling. Anyways, back to this dessert. Don't be afraid of the presence of buttermilk in a sweet dessert - it's actually an underlying taste, even if it's the central character.

I had a bunch of buttermilk in the fridge about to expire, and being tired of buttermilk biscuits and buttermilk cornbread, I strove to find something altogether different. I eyed my ice cream mixer, and went on a search for a recipe. The mixer recipe book actually had a buttermilk sherbet recipe, but I switched things around to better suit my needs, and to make sure I already had everything on hand.

Recipe:
2 1/2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/3 cup sugar
Zest of 2 lemons

Combine all of the ingredients together and stir for 5 minutes. This is just to make sure that the sugar more or less dissolves in the buttermilk - you don't want granules in the finished product. Add to ice cream maker and operate as per directions. The sherbet never fully solidifies like an ice cream, but once it begins to get chunky, move it to a storage container and place in the freezer. Freeze at least 12 hours before enjoying. Serves 4.

When you first bite down on this sherbet, all you taste is lemons. It's after you've swallowed that a slight reminscing flavor of buttermilk hits your taste buds. It's actually a great pairing of flavors, and I was surprised with how well the two paired. If you want, you could also add a bit of mint - I probably will next time.