Sorbet

The intriguing lemony/orangey flavor of Meyer lemons is so refreshing; this sorbet captures the fruit’s essence and perfume. The Salt Butter Shortbread (page 202) is great with it, but, really, this sorbet needs no accompaniment.

Serve a scoop of this bright and refreshing sorbet over a bowl of sliced summer peaches. Or add it to your favorite gazpacho.

This may be the epitome of freshness, a perfect balance of sweet and tart, with the crispness of the apple apparent, even in sorbet form. Be prepared: This can take a very long time to freeze in a home ice cream maker.

We had Concords growing in the backyard when I was a kid, but I didn’t like them. They were just too strong for my young palate. But I came to love this flavor and now I wait all year for the grapes to be in season so I can make this sorbet. It’s my favorite thing to do with Concords. I always serve this sorbet on its own—pure and simple.

A frosty glass of refreshing iced tea is the inspiration for this sorbet. Iced tea flavored with peaches has nearly outpaced tea with lemon in recent years. Bottles of tasty peach tea are available in most stores, but you can also brew your own with peach tea bags. If you use bottled tea in this recipe, make sure it isn't diet. This sorbet is a good way to use peaches so dead-ripe that they cannot be eaten whole or sliced because any small brown soft spots disappear into the tea. The vodka improves the texture of the sorbet, as does the corn syrup. Use tea-flavored vodka if you have it, although plain vodka works fine. Pouring a splash of the sweet tea vodka or bourbon over the soft sorbet makes an excellent slushy for grown-ups.

Surprise your friends with a hint of heat in their dessert. The flavor of the Sriracha comes through gently, with the spice balanced by the delicate sweet perfume of ripe peaches. To really gild the lily, serve a scoop with fresh berries and top with a handful of crushed gingersnaps and fresh sprigs of mint.

If you don't believe the saying that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, this simple yet incredibly good sorbet is proof positive that it can be true. This is my all-time favorite sorbet.

Ciao Bella has made this classic Italian flavor since the beginning, and it's the favorite of our president, Charlie Apt. Campari, invented in the 1860s by Gaspare Campari, is an alcoholic beverage made with a secret mixture of herbs and bark that gives it its characteristic bitter edge. Here that bitterness is intensified by the sharpness of the grapefruit, which makes this the quintessential palate cleanser; if you want to serve it as a dessert, increase the sugar to 2 cups. Campari's distinctive red color lends a beautiful gentle pink tone to the sorbetto. For a nonalcoholic grapefruit sorbetto, simply omit the Campari.

If you don't believe the saying that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, this simple yet incredibly good sorbet is proof positive that it can be true. This is my all-time favorite sorbet.

Your standard celebration staple—guacamole, salsa and chips—deserves a cool upgrade. The classic ingredient combo isn't only yummy, it's also good for you. The healthy monounsaturated fats in avocados help you absorb more cancer-fighting carotenoids from the tomatoes.

I adore lychee juice, which tastes very much like the fresh fruit. You can buy aseptic packages of the juice in Asian markets, and I've seen them in many supermarkets. This sorbet is not only delicious, it's fun.

Although uva means "grape" in Italian, Concords are native to North America. A velvety sorbet brings out their inky, foxy intensity. It will, in fact, swing you right into autumn.

As the main ingredient in a sorbet, kiwifruit becomes the belle of the ball.

The combination of condensed milk and lime gives this dessert a bit of tropical flair.

Rhubarb and strawberries usually meet in late-spring pies. This dessert plays on the combination's sophistication. When roasted, rhubarb becomes more intense in flavor and color while still retaining its shape. Rose water contributes a floral delicacy (use it sparingly; a little goes a long way), and strawberry sorbet imparts a cool note.

Calvados—Normandy's celebrated apple-cider brandy—is heady stuff, and by that we mean it has the power to transport you to a French bistro or farmhouse kitchen. This digestif-and-dessert combination would be sensational after a roast pork dinner.

We love to make sorbet when local berries are in season. The Simple Sugar Syrup keeps in your fridge for weeks.

The combination of plums and red wine gives this sorbet a stunning fuchsia color and a deep, fruit-filled flavor. Think of it as fruity mulled wine that's been frozen into a refreshing dessert.

If you're searching for a showstopping dessert (that is secretly easy to make) to serve company, look no further. Each gorgeous — and delicious — tricolored slice is a canvas of decorative swirls: vibrant orange, deep purple, and creamy white.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from David Lebovitz's The Perfect Scoop: Ice Creams, Sorbets, Granitas, and Sweet Accompaniments. To read Epicurious's review of the cookbook, go to Summer Cooking Guides. This is the perfect chocolate sorbet — very rich and full of bittersweet chocolate flavor. Use a top-quality cocoa powder; it will make a huge difference. And be sure to use a large saucepan, since the mixture will bubble up as it boils.

Cassis, also known as black currant, has a deep, velvety, ripe-berry flavor, along with a slight sourness; this sorbet plays up those qualities. We use bottled nectar, but if you find fresh black currants, you can certainly make your own (see cooks' note, below).