Cucumber Lime Sherbet

[Lucy St. Jude]

Ingredients
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Zest of one lime
1/2 cup key lime juice
2 medium cucumbers, peeled, seeded and chopped
2/3 cup mint leaves, loosely packed
4 large egg yolks
6 T sugar
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup whole milk
1/8 teaspoon salt
Fresh mint sprigs, for garnish

Instructions
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Prepare an ice water bath in a bowl large enough to set another bowl easily inside of it.
Set aside.

Blend zest, lime juice, cucumber and mint until smooth
Set aside.

In a medium bowl, beat together the yolks and half of the sugar, until smooth and creamy.

Put cream, 1/2 cup milk, 3 T sugar and the salt into a medium saucepan over medium heat.
Heat the mixture until just before it starts to simmer (do not let it simmer).
Remove mixture from heat and let stand 10 minutes.

Whisk in 1/2 cup of the cream mixture in a slow stream into the yolk mixture to temper it.
Add another 1/2 cup of the cream mixture and continue to whisk.
Transfer the yolk mixture back to the saucepan with the remaining cream mixture.
Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until it is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, 5 to 7 minutes.

Remove from heat and mix in remaining milk to stop the mixture from overcooking.

Pour custard through a medium-mesh sieve into a stainless steel bowl set in the ice-water bath.
Pour lime mixture through a medium-mesh sieve into the custard.
Let cool completely, stirring until completely chilled.

Freeze custard in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions.
Freeze it for at least an hour in an airtight plastic container to have a firmer texture.