WATER ICES AND SHERBETS OR SORBETS
A water ice is a mixture of water, fruit and sugar, frozen without much stirring; in fact, a water ice can be made in an ordinary tin kettle packed in a bucket. If an ice cream freezer is used, the stirring should be done occasionally. Personally, I prefer to pack the can, put on the lid and fasten the hole with a cork rather than to use the dasher, stirring now and then with a paddle. If you use the crank, turn slowly for a few minutes, then allow the mixture to stand for five minutes; turn slowly again, and again rest, and continue this until the water ice is frozen. A much longer time is required for freezing water ice than ice cream.
When the mixture is thoroughly frozen, take out the dasher, scrape down the sides of the can, give the ice a thorough beating with a wooden spoon; put the cork in the lid of the can, draw the water from the tub, repack it with coarse ice and salt, cover it with paper and a piece of blanket or burlap, and stand aside for two or three hours to ripen just as you would ice cream.
When it is necessary to make water ice every day or two, it is best to make a syrup and stand it aside ready for use.
Fruit jellies may be used in the place of fresh fruits, allowing one pint of jelly, the juice of one lemon and a half pound of sugar to each quart of water.
When water ice is correctly frozen, it has the appearance of hard wet snow. It must not be frothy nor light.
A sherbet or sorbet is made from the same mixture as a water ice, stirred constantly while it is freezing, and has a meringue, made from the white of one egg and a tablespoonful of powdered sugar, stirred in after the dasher is removed.