RECIPE

© Eri Morita

Tequila-Cilantro Sorbet

• Recipe by Deborah Racicot

This recipe comes from Deborah Racicot, a former bartender turned pastry chef at New York City's Gotham Bar & Grill.

• Make-Ahead

Ingredients

1. 1 1/4 cups whole milk
2. 1 1/4 cups water
3. 1 cup sugar
4. 1 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
5. 1 cup fresh lime juice
6. 3/4 cup plata or silver tequila
7. Pinch of salt

Directions

1. In a saucepan, bring the milk, water, sugar and cilantro to a boil; stir to dissolve the sugar. Transfer to a stainless steel bowl set in an ice water bath; stir occasionally until cool. 
2. In a blender, puree the sorbet mixture. Strain through a fine sieve set over a bowl. Stir in the lime juice, tequila and salt. 
3. Freeze the sorbet in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. Transfer to a shallow bowl, wrap with plastic and freeze until very firm, about 1 hour.

Make Ahead

The sorbet can be frozen for up to 3 days.

Notes

Variation: To prepare a granita, pour the sorbet mixture made in Steps 1 and 2 into a chilled 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Freeze the mixture until ice crystals form around the edges. Using a fork, break up the crystals. Freeze the mixture until it begins to harden; break up the crystals again. Continue freezing and breaking up the crystals until the granita is completely frozen into a mass of soft, icy shards.

This sorbet is also delicious with clear rum instead of tequila.