Strawberry Sherbet

This is a shorthand entry that borrows its method from the Raspberry Sherbet earlier in the section: sugar and salt dissolved in the hot juice, the yolks tempered into it, the base chilled, then frozen with the cream and the beaten whites folded in. It is written for a mechanical refrigerator's ice tray rather than a churn.

• Getting 2 cups of juiceCrush about 2 quarts (roughly 2 1/2 lb) of hulled ripe strawberries with a little of the sugar, let them stand half an hour, then press through a sieve or jelly bag. Bring the strained juice to a boil to dissolve the sugar.
• The eggsThe yolks are only warmed by the hot juice and the whites are never heated at all. Use pasteurized shell eggs or carton egg white, or leave the whites out and fold in additional whipped cream, since nothing in this dessert reaches a temperature that would make raw egg safe.
• "2 cups cream"Cream unqualified in older American books often meant a thinner cream than modern heavy cream, perhaps in the region of 18-20% butterfat. Modern heavy cream at 36% works and gives a richer result; whip it only to soft mounds, not stiff, or it will turn buttery when the mixture is beaten during freezing.
• Lemon rindGrate the zest only, and steep it in the hot juice rather than leaving it in the frozen mixture. White pith turns bitter as the base sits.
• The hinge: beat it twiceIf you are freezing this in trays rather than a churn, pour the base into shallow metal trays, freeze until firm at the edges and slushy in the middle, scrape it into a chilled bowl, beat hard, and refreeze. A second beating once it has firmed again helps keep the texture from going grainy.
• Freezer temperatureEarly refrigerator freezing compartments ran considerably warmer than a modern freezer at 0F. Expect this to set hard; move it to the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes before serving so it can be scooped.
• Sugar is structuralThe 1 1/2 cups is not only for sweetness -- it keeps the ice crystals small. Cutting it much will give you a solid pink block, so adjust with lemon juice if the berries are very sweet rather than reducing the sugar.
• YieldAbout 1 1/2 quarts, which works out to roughly a half cup per serving at the eight to ten the recipe claims.