Rhubarb and Strawberry Sorbet

1-1/2 stalks rhubarb
8 tbsp sugar
1-1/2 tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed
3/4 cup water
1-1/4 strawberries
1 egg white

Put a metal or glass bowl into the freezer so that it will be cold when filling it with the sorbet mixture.

Wash the rhubarb stalks briefly.  If necessary, the fibrous stings can be removed by pulling them as with celery.  Cut them crosswise into approximately 1.5 cm pieces and place them in a saucepan.  Stir in the sugar, lemon juice and water.  Bring to a boil, then lower the heat, cover and simmer 8-10 minutes.  Take the saucepan off the heat.

Hull the strawberries and halve them lengthwise, then add them to the rhubarb.  Transfer the mixture to a blender and process until smooth.  With the blender running, pour in the egg white and continue to mix until homogeneous.  You may also beat the egg white in a separate bowl using an electric mixer, then add to the fruit puree and mix well.

Let the mixture cool down about 10 minutes in the refrigerator, then pour it into the prepared container, cover and chill in the freezer.

After about 3 hours, take the mixture out of the freezer and stir it using a whisk.  Return it to the freezer and repeat the same stirring operation after an additional 2 hours.  In order to reduce the standing times between the stirring operations, you may distribute the mixture into 2 smaller containers, rather that just pouring it into 1, so that it will freeze more rapidly.  This is particularly useful when preparing larger amounts.

Take the sorbet out of the freezer at least 15 minutes before serving, so that it will soften slightly.

Serves 5.