Lemon Thyme Sorbet - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 cup sugar
3 cups water
4 fresh lemons, juice of and thinly-pared rind (about 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice)
8 -12 sprigs of fresh lemon thyme (about 8 tablespoons or 1/2 cup)
1 egg white, stiffly beaten (optional)

Preparation

Bring the sugar, water, and lemon rind to a boil in a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Boil briskly, without stirring, for 5 minutes until sugar is dissolved, pushing any crystals that form on the sides of the pan back down into the water. Then reduce heat to a simmer, give a good stir, and simmer for 5 minutes longer.
Remove from heat. Add the thyme leaves to the syrup, cover, and leave to steep for 1 hour.
Strain through a fine-mesh sieve, discarding the lemon rind and thyme leaves. Stir in the lemon juice. Cover and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled. Transfer to an ice-cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions.
If you don't have an ice-cream maker, transfer the mixture to a freezer-proof container. Freeze for one hour, then beat thoroughly with a hand-held mixer (at this point, add the beaten egg white for a lighter texture). Repeat twice more.
Use a melon-baller to scoop into pretty dessert glasses. The sorbet should be served as soon as it is made.