Watermelons are a real treat during the summer because they both satisfy your sweet tooth and help you rehydrate. I find that I buy smaller watermelons more often than the jumbo melons, since you really need a crowd to finish off a large watermelon quickly. If you can’t eat your way through a whole melon when you cut into it – and they’re always best when they’re fresh – you can turn your leftovers into this Watermelon Strawberry Sorbet.

This sorbet is extremely straightforward to make. It uses lots of watermelon, a few handfuls of strawberries and some sugar, along with a dash of lemon juice that is just enough to help brighten up the fruit flavors. You’ll notice that the recipe doesn’t call for an exact amount of watermelon and that is because it is difficult to cut or spoon watermelon chunks out into pieces that are easy to measure in a standard measuring cup. A little extra – or a little less – isn’t going to have a negative impact on the finished sorbet.

The ingredients are blended together in a blender or rood processor to puree the fruit and dissolve the sugar. Then the mixture can be poured into an ice cream maker and allowed to churn until it is creamy, before being frozen until it reaches a scoopable consistency. If you are starting with room temperature fruit, I recommend chilling the base for at least an hour before freezing.

This recipe also happens to work very well without an ice cream maker, so while I recommend using one if you have one, you can still enjoy this sorbet without any special equipment. To make it without an ice cream maker, pour the sorbet base into a large baking dish and freeze for about 1 hour. Take the pan out of the freezer and stir the mixture with a fork to break up an ice crystals forming. Freeze for another 45-60 minutes and repeat, then freeze until firm. This method will produce a slightly icier – but still very flavorful – sorbet that is still easy to scoop and sure to be a hit with watermelon-lovers on hot summer days.

Watermelon Strawberry Sorbet
5 1/2-6 cups cubed watermelon
2 cups fresh strawberries
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar

Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until very smooth. Pour into an ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer’s directions.
Alternatively, pour the mixture into a baking sheet and freeze, stirring with a fork every 45-60 minute to break up the ice crystals, until sorbet has frozen.

Serves 6-8