The cactus pears (also known as prickly pears or cactus fruits) grown in the United States usually have mottled green-and-red skin and beautiful magenta-colored flesh. (The Mexican varieties tend to be smaller, and skin and flesh can be red or green.)

　　

Ingredients

Makes 4 cups

　　8 cactus pears (about 3 pounds total)

　　1 cup Rich Simple Syrup

　　2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, or to taste

　　

Step 1

Line a baking sheet with plastic wrap. Wearing rubber gloves, wash cactus pears and with paper towels rub off any prickly fuzz left on skin. Halve cactus pears lengthwise and with a spoon carefully scoop flesh with seeds into a blender, leaving thick shells intact. Add syrup and lime juice to blender and purée until smooth. Pour cactus-pear purée through a fine sieve into a bowl and discard seeds. Put cactus shells on baking sheet and freeze while making sorbet.

　　

Step 2

Freeze purée in an ice-cream maker. Scoop sorbet into frozen shells, smoothing surfaces so they are level. Freeze filled cactus shells at least 6 hours, or until frozen hard. Frozen sorbets in shells may be wrapped individually in plastic wrap and kept in freezer 1 week.