Having witnessed Noël's valiant struggles with custard-based ice cream, I decided to have a go at a simple fruit sorbet for my inaugural batch. Since these pints were destined for consumption at a barbeque, lemon seemed like a logical choice. So, I picked up a bag of lemons at the store, stole an electric juicer from my parents' kitchen, and headed home for some sorbet shenanigans. 
       

Recipe adapted from America's Test Kitchen via The Cooking Chronicles

_After the delicious announcement of the arrival of our ice cream maker, my mother immediately sent over her favorite Blackberry Ice Cream recipe. But blackberries aren't quite in season (or at least not in budget), so I decided to go with the steal of strawberries at the farmer's market this morning: half a flat for $9! Katie provided the cream this go-round, and we're off to the races.

{This event actually took an additional trip to the store because I managed to curdle the custard. Curses!}

The hardest part about ice creams (and all custards, really) is not curdling the eggs. When egg yolks get too hot too quickly, the proteins bunch up into little tiny non-creamy chunks.

This is why some pumpkin pies get a little grainy and watery: the bunched-up proteins separate from the liquid that would normally be occupying the bunched-up space in creamy togetherness.

There isn't any way to get over the hurdle of a curdled custard. You can continue, and be satisfied with a non-perfectly-creamy ice cream, or you can start over.

_This Fourth of July was monumental. It was glorious. It was the fateful day when we walked to the grocery store. Fate rewarded us for this adventure with the discovery of Raley's pint cartons for homemade ice cream.