Grape Sorbet

It's been hellaciously hot here in the Dallas area. Triple-digit heat is oppressive, so anything one can do to stay cool is very welcome. My Cuisinart ice cream maker has been getting a workout making fruit sorbets. They're so refreshing. Most contain just fruit, water, and sugar, so are easy to make. I had some grapes that needed to be used up and came up with a sorbet recipe to use them. It turned out to be just the heat relief I needed -


Grape Sorbet

2 - 3 pounds black grapes, stemmed
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup sugar
Juice of 1 orange

Put all ingredients into a pot and bring to a boil. Mash grapes to help release the juices, and simmer for about 25 minutes. Let cool slightly.

Let a fine sieve with 3 - 4 layers of cheesecloth, and drain the grape mixture, pressing to get as much of the juice out of the cooked fruit as you can. You should have 3 - 4 cups of juice.

Process in ice cream maker for 30 - 40 minutes. Remove sorbet to a container and freeze until sorbet is firm.

Yield: 1 quart