Valdostane and Berries Sherbet

For tonight's dinner I prepared two simple dishes with what I had already at home. The main course was my own version of the Valdostana steak:

- 6 small steaks tenderized;
- 6 slices of Swiss cheese;
- 6 slices of ham;
- Extra-virgin olive oil;
- 1 Bouillon cube.

I placed the tenderized steaks in olive oil and sprinkled the Bouillon cube on them. I cooked them in an electric skillet at low heat. When the steaks were nearly ready, I placed a slice of ham and a slice of cheese on each steak, turned the skillet to "warm" heat and covered it to let the cheese melt. I served them with a mix of sauteed vegetables.

For dessert I prepared a berries sherbet:

- 1/2 liter of water (ca. 2 cups);
- 400 grams of granulated sugar (a little less tha one lb);

- 250 grams of frozen berries (Costco mix: raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries) (a little more than 1/2 lb);

- Dry or fresh mint leaves (optional);
- 1 Tbsp of lemon juice;
- 2-3 Tbsp of orange juice (optional).

I boiled the water, sugar and one Tbsp of dry mint leaves for about 5 minutes to make the syrup base for the sherbet. Then I passed the syrup through a tea strainer into a bowl to remove all of the mint leaves and added the frozen berries. Following this step will quickly cool the syrup down. I also added the lemon and orange juice and let the berries and syrup "rest" until completly cool. At this point I blended the whole thing obtaining a rich berry mix similar to a smoothie and placed it in my icecream maker. You can decide to strain the berry mix before placing it in the icecream maker if you prefer removing skin and seeds. However, I like to leave them in for the texture and color they provide to the sherbet and because they are a great source of antioxidants. My kids loved it!