Sgroppino- Venetian Lemon and Strawberry Slush

What kinds of things are you doing to prepare for the fall? At our house, we are trying to squeeze every last ounce of summer out of our system before the temperatures drop. Once the weather changes, my cooking plans turn to chili, caramel, roasts, and soups, hearty rolls, Christmas goodies, and hot drinks. This Italian Sgroppino is like summer's last hurrah, bold, fresh, and unavoidable.

The dessert begins with a tart lemon ice cream made by boiling lemon peels in a sugar syrup. After adding the cream and freezing, the ice cream is whisked with pureed fresh, ripe berries then whisked again with Prosecco until the dessert becomes slushy. The result? Dessert with an exclamation point! I loved the intense bold, clean flavors compared to the sappy sweetness of so many other desserts.

I deviated from the recipe in an attempt to make a family-friendly version by using different liquids to make the slush. For the first try, I used sparkling apple cranberry juice, and for the second I used ginger ale, which I thought was delicious. The sparkling apple cranberry juice was much too tart, and it introduced flavors that competed with the lemon and strawberry, but the ginger ale sweetened the Sgroppino while keeping that "party in your mouth" feel.

Cooking Italy is a cooking group formed by Angela of Spinach Tiger. We are cooking our way through Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan.


Sgroppino- Venetian Lemon and Strawberry Slush
adapted from Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan


For the Lemon Ice Cream

The peel of 4 lemons, with none of the white pith beneath, about 1/2 tightly packed cup
1 cup plus 2 TBS granulated sugar
2/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2/3 cup heavy whipping cream

Fill a small saucepan with 1 1/2 cups water, and add the lemon peel, sugar, and lemon juice. Bring to a boil and continue boiling for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, strain the peel from the mixture, and pour remaining syrup into a bowl. Refrigerate the syrup until it is completely cold.

Whisk the heavy cream into the mixture until thoroughly combined. Pour mixture into an ice cream freezer and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions.

For the Strawberry Puree

2/3 pound very ripe strawberries

Remove and discard the stems and leaves from the berries and wash the berries thoroughly. Puree the berries in a food processor, which should yield about 2 cups of berries. Refrigerate the berries at least 2 hours.

For the Sgroppino

Lemon ice cream and cold strawberries
1 1/2 cups sparkling wine (I used ginger ale)

Scoop the lemon ice cream into a bowl and break up the ice cream with a large spoon. Add half of the strawberry puree and whisk the mixture until combined. Add half the liquid, whisking several times Add the remaining strawberries and liquid, whisking until the mixture becomes soft and foamy. Do not over- whisk, or the mixture will become too liquid. Serve at once.
Yield 8 servings.