I have a little Thursday morning ritual.

Right after I crawl out of bed and decide if my breath is offensive enough to make brushing a first priority, I head to my Inbox to check my email. Not to discover the rush of emails from clients or paperless bills, but rather, a cooking tip from Sara Kate Gillingham-Ryan, founding editor of Apartment Therapy's The Kitchn. Whether it’s a pointer on beautifying your kitchen, picking the right potato or recipes for Egyptian Tomato Soup or Balsamic Drizzled Ice Cream, it never fails to make me think, “Hey, I wish I thought of that.”
 
While not every email appeals to my dietary choices, I find something homegrown and special in each and every one. Below is one of Sara’s recent recipes for Nectarine Sorbet, a frozen treat she made for an end-of-summer community project for nine Shakespearian actors.
 
My boyfriend still doesn’t believe I made this.  
 
Nectarine Sorbet
Note from Sara Kate: The only tricks to sorbet are that you need to make a simple syrup to sweeten it (straight sugar won't have a good texture) and the mixture needs a dash of alcohol to inhibit the freezing process, otherwise your sorbet will be a brick. I like a little brightness, hence the lemon juice. This is a really easy formula, so experiment. It will work with any fruit — just be sure to taste the mixture for sweetness. Some fruit needs less sugar, and less acid. In some cases (melon, for example) I prefer the acid to come from lime.

Makes: One quart
 
What to Buy:
3/4 cup sugar (evaporated cane juice)
1 cup water
2 pounds (about 4 large) nectarines, skinned, pitted
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons rum
 
How to Make It:
Prepare an ice bath. In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and water. Bring to a boil then lower heat to medium and cook until the sugar has completely dissolved, or 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer the syrup to a small metal mixing bowl set over an ice bath. Stir occasionally until cooled to room temperature.

Slice the nectarines into chunks and place in a food processor with the syrup, lemon juice and rum. Process until smooth.
 
Freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Click here to view more recipes from Sara Kate or visit www.thekitchn.com.

-Carly