Sorvete de Carambola

• 1 cup sugar
• ¾ cup water
• 2½ pounds

In a nonreactive saucepan, combine the sugar with ⅔ cup water and boil for 5 minutes. Cool.

Trim away the brown points of the carambola and roughly chop them. Puree in a blender or food processor, pulsing on and off until smooth. Strain the mixture through a sieve, pressing down with a rubber spatula to extract all the juices.

Add the cool syrup and the alcohol, if using, and ch