Savory Tomato Sorbet

• Heat the tomatoes in a large saucepan over medium heat and cook for 15 minutes or until soft, stirring often.
• Use a blender, food processor or food mill with a fine grate to process the tomatoes into juice. Strain them through a fine sieve to remove the seeds.
• Add the lime juice, then measure 2 cups of the mixture. Store the additional juice for use in drinks or cooking.
• Mix the tomato juice, sugar, water, minced basil, salt and pepper together.
• If you have an ice cream maker, follow the manufacturer’s directions. If you don’t, place the mixture in a chilled metal pan. Freeze it for 40 to 60 minutes, until the edges are frozen.
• Stir it, then return the pan to the freezer and repeat the process. The mixture should freeze in about 3 hours but should not be hard.
• Chunk up the frozen sorbet into pieces, place them in a food processor and process until smooth. Pour the sorbet into a plastic container, cover and freeze 3 to 4 hours.
• To serve, arrange the cucumber slices in a flower pattern in sherbet dishes or martini glasses. Scoop sorbet into the dish, garnish it with basil sprigs and splash it with vodka.

Variations:
Use clam juice in place of part of the water. Add a dash of cayenne pepper, Worcestershire sauce or Tabasco. Try celery seeds in place of the basil and garnish the dish with celery stalks.

If you juice using a food mill, you can skip the peeling process.

This article appears in Aug 1-31, 2005.