Honeysuckle Sorbet

- 4 cups (1 quart) freshly picked honeysuckle blossoms (measure tightly packed but avoid bruising the flowers)
- 62/3 cups cool water
- 2 cups sugar
- ½ teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- A tiny pinch of ground cinnamon
Instructions:
Stored tightly covered in the freezer, this sorbet will keep for about two weeks. Soften slightly before serving.
- Pick over the honeysuckle blossoms carefully, removing all leaves and bits of stem. Place the flowers in a large, nonreactive bowl and pour in 51/3 cups of the water. Place a heavy plate on top to keep the flowers submerged, and let stand on the counter overnight.
- Next day, place the remaining 11/3 cups water in a small, heavy saucepan and mix in the sugar. Bring to a boil over moderate heat, then boil uncovered for 3 to 5 minutes or until about the consistency of light corn syrup. Remove from the heat, add the lemon juice (to keep the syrup from crystallizing), and cool to room temperature.
- Meanwhile, strain the honeysuckle infusion, pressing the blossoms gently to extract every drop of nectar. Mix in the cooled syrup, then the cinnamon—“just a speck,” Bill cautions. “You don’t want to taste it but you can tell if it’s not there.”
- Pour the honeysuckle mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s directions.