Strawberry-Buttermilk Sherbet

Did I mention we went strawberry picking? Man, they are so good fresh off the vine. Sweet, soft, bursting with sunny flavor.My experience has been that strawberries aren't very good cooked. I've tried them in cakes and cookies, but really they belong sliced on top of ice cream, or chilled in a cool pie. It was hot the next week so I started to poke around for strawberry ice cream recipes. But I just didn't feel like taking on the fat and calories of egg-and-cream choices. Then I hit gold when I came upon this Strawberry-Buttermilk Sherbet.

The ingredients couldn't be more simple - strawberries, buttermilk, sugar, vanilla. No cooking. Straining the pureed strawberries is optional; it provides a smoother texture but I left a few seeds and chunks in for authenticity. Stir it up, chill it well, then pour into your ice cream machine. Yeah, the one in the back of your cupboards you haven't used since last summer.

We dished this up and ate it in front of "The Magnificent Seven." We kept pausing to exclaim to each other, "Wow, this is really good!" "Man, this is SO good!" Super refreshing, creamy, just-right-sweet, and doesn't completely sabotage the diet. Amazing flavor. What a way to start summer!

Strawberry-Buttermilk Sherbet
2 cups fresh strawberries*
2 cups buttermilk
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Garnish: fresh mint sprigs (so sad I didn't have any)

1. Process strawberries in a food processor or blender 30 seconds or until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides. Pour strawberry puree through a fine wire-mesh strainer into a large bowl, pressing with back of a spoon. Discard solids. Add buttermilk, sugar, and vanilla to puree; stir until well blended. Cover and chill 1 hour.

2. Pour strawberry mixture into freezer container of a 1 1/2-qt. electric ice-cream maker, and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions. (Instructions and times may vary.) Garnish, if desired.

*1 (16-oz.) package frozen strawberries, thawed, may be substituted.

Recipe from Southern Living, MAY 2008