Mexican cuisine · Desserts & Sweets

Nieve de Garrafa de Limón

Hand-churned lime sorbet that turns creamy without a machine, carried by nothing more than sugar and zest.

Ingredients · for 6 servings

• 8 limes
• 250 g sugar
• 600 ml water
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 egg white
• 2 kg coarse sea salt
• 2 kg ice cubes

Instructions

1. Finely grate the zest of three limes, juice all the fruit and pour the juice through a sieve – you should end up with about 200 ml.
2. Bring the sugar to a boil with 300 ml water and a pinch of salt, let it bubble for 3 min. until the sugar has fully dissolved, then remove from the heat and stir in the lime zest.
3. Let the syrup cool completely, mix with the remaining water and the lime juice, and chill the mixture in the fridge for 30 min.
4. Set a metal bowl inside a larger bowl and fill the gap between them with alternating layers of ice cubes and coarse sea salt until the inner bowl is packed to the rim.
5. Pour in the cold lime mixture and stir continuously with a wooden spoon for 25–30 min., repeatedly scraping down the layer that freezes against the side – this is what builds the fine crystal texture.
6. Once the mixture is creamy-firm, fold in the stiffly whipped egg white and serve the nieve immediately in chilled bowls.