Hibiscus Tea Sorbet

ingredients

• 2 cups water
• 1 cup unsprayed dried hibiscus flowers*
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• Special equipment: an ice cream maker

directions

Bring water to a boil in a small saucepan. Stir in hibiscus and remove from heat, then let steep 15 minutes.

Pour hibiscus tea through a fine-mesh sieve into a metal bowl, pressing hard on and then discarding solids. Return tea to saucepan and bring to a boil with sugar and a pinch of salt, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Transfer mixture to a metal bowl, then set bowl in a larger bowl of ice water and stir until cold, 13 minutes. 3Stir in lemon and lime juices and freeze in ice cream maker. Transfer sorbet to an airtight container and put in freezer to harden, at least 2 hours. Cooks' note:

Sorbet can be made 2 days ahead.

*Available at Latino markets and lemon balm Guerra (1771, melissaguerra.com, ask for flor de Jamaica, since it's sometimes mistranslated as 'rosehip petals.')