And it came to pass that I failed to review my calendar closely and learned 4 hours or so before their arrival that we would have great friends for dinner and staying with us the whole week. Yippee! We also had planned for the parents to visit for the Sunday evening meal, and I suddenly realized I had to double the number I was cooking for. Ironically, when putting together a menu in my head (without going to the grocery store, mind you), I first thought of the dessert. I quickly evaluated a few pints of raspberry sorbet and Cherry Garcia in the fridge, but feared that wouldn't be enough for the entire group. Not wasting any time, I pulled together the strawberries I had frozen just a few days earlier and the banana my mom had frozen Easter Sunday. And the recipe for strawberry banana sorbet was born.
Surprisingly when I offered choices at the table, most people chose the strawberry banana, and I realized why. It was significantly less sweet, and worked very well with the fresh mint leaves I cut from our herb garden. It also offered a dairy-free and healthy finale to the meal.
As the chef for the evening, I was pleased at how easily and quickly I expanded my dessert selections without stressing out or rushing to the store. I highly recommend this sorbet, but I also recommend being creative and not stopping just with what I had due to the limitations in my kitchen. Be creative. Explore.
Cost to Make Strawberry Banana Sorbet
- $2.00 Strawberries (Costco)
- $0.18 Bananas (Costco)
- $0.03 Brown Sugar (Costco)
- Free Mint (Our herb garden)
- $2.21 Total for 3 quarts
Recipe for Strawberry Banana Sorbet
- 3 quarts whole strawberries, frozen
- 1-1 1/2 bananas, frozen
- 3 Tablespoons brown sugar (more or less to taste)
- 2 Tablespoons water
- Garnish: fresh mint leaves
In food processor, puree ingredients until smooth. (I use a smaller food processor and make the sorbet in batches, adding four strawberries, 3 slices banana, and a dash of sugar at a time. Each batch is slightly different. When it's all blended, I stir all the batches together.) Pour into freezer-safe bowl, cover and freeze. Garnish with fresh mint.
Varieties: Use orange juice instead of water. Blend the mint right into the sorbet. Substitute lemon juice for banana. Take out any frozen bag of mixed fruit and blend away!
