Note: This post is my entry for Hay Hay It’s Donna Day #13, hosted by Laura at Eat Drink Live.

Just as the weather here in Oregon jumped up by 10 degrees after Memorial Day, it took another leap on the 4th of July, and we’re now getting temperatures in the high 80’s and 90’s. There’s a rumor we might even hit triple-digits this coming week, too. In heat like that, sorbet is the perfect dessert, and I’m happy to have any excuse to make more.

Although I was very tempted to make chocolate or chocolate-coconut sorbet, I couldn’t pass up another chance to use some of the gorgeous fresh fruit filling up the farmer’s market stalls, and I knew the first fruit I would sorbetize was a pile of gorgeously red cherries that were labeled Sandra Rose. I’d never heard of them before, but the vendor claimed they were sweeter than both Rainiers and Bings. I used David Lebovitz’s recipe and ended up with a batch of glowing magenta cherry sorbet, with a cherry flavor so complex that Jeremy almost thought he could taste raspberries too.

That lasted maybe three days, and only because we still had fig ice cream too. Clearly more sorbet was in order.

Fortunately, I had a ripe pineapple waiting in the fridge for just such an occasion. I’ve never broken down a fresh pineapple before, and it turned out to be extremely easy. Really, the hardest part was just keeping the dog from pulling scraps of peel out of the trashcan for a snack. Then I blitzed it in the Cuisinart with some sugar and coconut milk, and before I knew it, I had a quart of piña colada sherbet waiting for consumption.

Was this one a success? Well, when I suggested making piña colada sherbet next, I was met with a less-than-enthusiastic response from Jeremy. To wit, he looked mournful, said that I’m more of a piña colada fan than he is, and reminded me how much he liked that strawberry-sour cream ice cream. But he doesn’t much like storebought strawberry ice cream either, and when I presented him with a scoop of quickly-melting sherbet, he had no trouble eating every last bit. Fresh fruit makes a world of difference. But I’m making him some more strawberry ice cream tonight, just for being such a good sport. 🙂

Piña Colada Sherbet

1 ripe pineapple, peeled, and cored (4 cups)
1 C sugar
1 C Thai coconut milk
1 T dark rum (I left this out)
1 tsp freshly squeezed lime juice (I used lemon)

Cut the pineapple into chunks. Puree in a blender with the sugar, coconut milk, rum and lime juice until smooth. Chill the mixture thoroughly, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Source: The Perfect Scoop, by David Lebovitz