I wouldn’t dream of visiting the vast Central Market in Florence without my friend Judy Witts, known throughout town as the Divina Cucina. With Judy as my guide, butchers and cheese merchants greet us like given-up-for-lost family members, and everywhere we turn another oversized platter appears, heaped with Tuscan delights: sheep’s-milk pecorino, candied fruits spiced with mustard seeds, fresh raspberries dotted with syrupy balsamic vinegar, and, gulp, juicy tripe sandwiches (which I haven’t built up the courage to try). And because we’re in Italy, it all ends with shots of grappa taken straight from little glass vials, obbligatorio after all that sampling. This sorbetto is adapted from Judy’s recipe. One of her favorite parts is the little chocolate “seeds” it contains. Since watermelons have a lot of water, take the sorbetto out of the freezer long enough ahead of serving to make it scoopable, 5 to 10 minutes. To pass the time, serve shots of grappa, and if there’s any left by serving time, splash some over the sorbetto too.

　　

Ingredients

makes about 1 quart (1 liter)

　　3 cups (750 ml) watermelon juice (see Note)

　　1/2 cup (100 g) sugar

　　Big pinch of salt

　　1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice

　　1 to 2 tablespoons vodka (optional)

　　1 to 2 tablespoons mini semisweet chocolate chips

　　

Step 1

In a small, nonreactive saucepan, heat about 1/2 cup (125 ml) of the watermelon juice with the sugar and salt, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat and stir the sugared syrup into the remaining 2 1/2 cups (625 ml) watermelon juice in a medium bowl. Mix in the lime juice and vodka, if using.

　　

Step 2

Chill the mixture thoroughly, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. During the last minute of churning, add the mini chocolate chips.

　　

Perfect Pairing

Step 3

This sorbetto makes excellent Watermelon Popsicle (pictured). Simply pour the mixture into plastic popsicle molds and freeze until very firm.

　　Cooks' Note

　　I find that I get about 3 cups (750 ml) of watermelon juice from a 3-pound (1 1/2-kg) chunk of watermelon. Cut away the rind, remove any seeds, and then cut the juicy, pink flesh into cubes and purée them in a blender or food processor. Any extra juice can be frozen for another use, such as watermelon margaritas.

　　The Perfect Scoop