Lime Ice

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It's 90 degrees. Time for something cold and refreshing.

Thanks to our Rick Bayless cookbook, Mexican Everyday, and the limes we just happen to need to use soon, and the abundant raspberries and lemon balm growing in our yard, and our ice cream maker, we're making lime ice with berries and mint. (Lemon balm doesn't taste like mint—it kinda tastes like Pledge—but it's in the mint family, so it counts. And it actually does, in small doses, complement berries and citrus very well.)

This very cold, very refreshing, sweet, tart treat is just like the Lemon Chill you can buy at the ballpark, only it's lime. Here is the recipe:

About 6 limes (enough to make 3/4 cup lime juice)
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup corn syrup (not just a sweetener—a texture hero!)
1 3/4 cup cold water
fresh raspberries, as many as you want
sprigs of lemon balm

Grate the zest of 2 limes, and juice the limes until you have 3/4 cup lime juice. Combine the zest, juice, sugar, corn syrup and water in a bowl. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Pour the mixture into the bowl of your ice cream maker and freeze according to the maker's directions.

The ice has the best texture if you transfer it into a container and put it in your freezer for a few hours. Serve scoops with fresh raspberries and an accent of lemon balm.
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