1 melon
1 cup sugar
3 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. Midori liquor, white wine, or vodka (optional)
Slice melon in half and scoop out seeds. Dice melon. Juice lemons (it’s also fine to use bottled lemon juice). Process melon in blender or food processor until smooth. Add lemon juice. For every four cups purée, you’ll need one cup of sugar (you should have four cups—or just a little more—of melon purée). Blend. Put in fridge (or freezer!) to chill. When chilled, process mixture in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's directions OR use the following directions:
3 - 4 lbs. ice (10 cups or more) 1/2 cup table salt or 1 cup kosher salt, plus a pinch
Pour all the ice into a large glass or plastic bowl, cover it with salt, and stir. Make above recipe. Pour into a sealable 1-gallon freezer bag, push out as much air as possible, and seal. Place a wide plastic bowl with a lid, like a salad spinner bowl, on a kitchen towel. Fill bowl with about half the ice. Lay freezer bag on ice and flatten it with your hand. Dump rest of the ice, along with any melted water, on top of bag, leaving zipper edge
exposed. Place lid on the bowl. Let rest for 15 minutes, shaking it once or twice to redistribute ice and brine. Pour about half the ice and brine into another bowl. Lift bag out by the zipper edge and lay it on a towel. (Avoid touching ice or brine, which are cold enough to cause frostbite.) Cover your hands with another towel and gently knead frozen areas for about a minute to mix them with liquid. Return freezer bag to bowl, laying it flat on ice. Cover it with reserved ice and brine. Put lid on bowl and freeze as above for another 15 minutes. Remove bag and carefully towel off the brine. Serve ice cream, or keep bag in freezer until ready to serve.
Sorbet recipe from member Winnie Chen. Freezing directions from The New York Times, Aug. 6, 2008