Fany Gerson, chef and owner of La Newyorkina, shares her knowledge of frozen desserts south of the border in Mexican Ice Cream, ranging from boozy margarita flavors to grasshopper-topped sorbet.
In Mexico, a very popular street snack is cut-up fresh fruit sprinkled with salt, ground chiles, and lime juice. Watermelon, mango, orange, and pineapple are the most common. Cucumber and jicama are served this way, too. Fruit sorbets are often flavored with the same seasonings, but this refreshing watermelon sorbet uses fresh green chiles, not ground chiles, for spiciness.
I like this sorbet with melon seeds mixed in, as seeing them in there makes me feel as though I’m taking bites of fresh fruit. But it’s surprising to me that it’s so difficult to find watermelons with seeds in the United States. You can use seedless watermelon, of course—the sorbet will still taste amazing.
6 cups
- In a blender, combine the watermelon, sugar, corn syrup, lime juice, chopped chiles, salt, and pequín chile. Puree until smooth. Taste and, if desired, add more pequín chile. Pour into a container, cover, and refrigerate until cold, at least 2 hours or up to overnight.
- Freeze and churn in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. When the sorbet has finished churning, mix in the reserved watermelon seeds (if using). For a soft consistency, serve the sorbet right away; for a firmer consistency, transfer it to a container, cover, and allow to harden in the freezer for 2 to 3 hours. Serve sprinkled with salted ground chiles, if desired.
Reprinted with permission from Mexican Ice Cream, copyright © 2017 by Fany Gerson, published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC. Photography copyright © 2017 by Justin Walker
