Strawberry Sorbet From The River Café
Genius Recipes

Photo by Ty Mecham. Food Stylist: Sam Seneviratne. Prop Stylist: Oliva Bloch.
- Serves
- 1 1/2 quarts
- Prep Time
- 45 Minutes
In honor of Genius Recipes turning 10 years old, and this iconic three-ingredient Strawberry Sorbet from The River Café that started it all, we’re sharing a new video, with tips for adapting to the fruit and equipment you have, and a podcast episode with the story behind that whole chopped lemon (finally), plus two new sorbet buddies that require no special machinery at all. Serve this at a sorbet party along with the Peach & Lemon Sorbet or Mascarpone Sorbet from The River Café (both on Food52), or all on its own. The sorbet will be at its best and most dramatic with ripe, in-season fruit, but, as River Café co-founder Ruth Rogers advises, the most important thing is to taste the fruit and the sorbet before churning and adjust as needed—it should challenge you a little, and feel like the fruit is exploding in your mouth. Adapted from The River Café Cook Book (Ebury Press, 1996) by Rose Gray and Ruth Rogers. This post contains products independently chosen (and loved) by our editors and writers. As an Amazon Associate, Food52 earns an affiliate commission on qualifying purchases of the products we link to.Hear more about this recipe from Ruthie herself, on our podcast The Genius Recipe Tapes.
Ingredients
- 3 large lemons, 1 seeded and roughly chopped, the others juiced
- 2 cup (396 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 pound strawberries, hulled
Featured Video
Strawberry Sorbet From The River Café
Directions
- Step 1
Place the chopped lemon and sugar in a food processor and pulse until combined. Transfer to a bowl. Alternatively, pulse with a blender or immersion blender in a large bowl.
- Step 2
Purée the strawberries in a food processor (or using one of the alternatives listed in step 1) and add to the lemon mixture, along with the juice of 1 lemon. Taste and add more juice as desired. The lemon flavor should be intense but should not overpower the strawberries.
- Step 3
Pour the mixture into an ice cream machine and churn until frozen. Alternatively, pour into a shallow dish and freeze, stirring every half hour or so, until firm and scoopable. Serve right away or cover and freeze. For the best texture and flavor, eat within a few days. If frozen too hard, let soften for 10 minutes, or until just soft enough to scoop.