Recipe for Sorbet: Using an Ice Cream Maker Is A Cool Way to Serve Fruit in Summertime

My interest in sorbet started after my doctor told me to cut back on the home made vanilla ice cream, because my cholesterol was out of control. Read my recipe for Country Style Vanilla Ice cream and you will see why. Unfortunately, I found out that sorbet is not a replacement for ice cream; however, sorbet is a fantastic way to prepare fruit, especially on hot days. I had found a whole new world of flavors.

Sorbet is defined on Wikipedia as: a frozen dessert made from sweetened water flavored with fruit (typically juice or puree), wine and/or liqueur. My version usually does not include alcohol. Sorbet is made in two parts, a simple syrup and a fruit puree.

Warning: There is a dark path that sorbet can take you down. If you have an adventurous spirit be very careful. A friend, let’s go with that, of mine once made dill pickle sorbet. That is the most vile and evil sorbet to ever exist. Seriously, do not ever make this sorbet-for any reason

The first thing you need to make a sorbet is a simple syrup. I don’t think that this can be bought at the grocery store; but, I never thought about looking for it there before I wrote this article. Don’t panic. A simple syrup is easy to make.

Warning: Do not leave this syrup unattended on the stove, if you leave it on too long, you will regret it. Burned sugar creates a very pungent smell.

The first thing you need to do is gather the Ingredients:

One cup of sugar

One cup of water

Note: The thickness of the syrup can be adjusted by changing the proportion of the sugar to the water.

There are optional ingredients that you may add.The following items are only a few examples:

Vanilla extract,

Orange liqueur

Coffee liqueur

Light rum

Tequila

The possibilities for flavor are endless. You will never know how something will taste until you try. I find that a teaspoon of extract per cup of syrup usually works. Liqueur will need to be done to taste. I like to reduce rum by half.

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and place over medium heat until sugar is completely dissolved and combined with the water into a syrup. If you have a clear glass sauce pan you can watch the sugar and water combine. Do not stir. Keep the sides of the saucepan clear of crystallized sugar by using a pastry brush dipped in water. Every few minutes, apply the water to the side of the saucepan. If you skip this step, the sorbet will have a grainy texture instead of smooth. Remove from heat and allow to cool and place into the refrigerator for one hour minimum. It would be best to chill overnight That's all there is too it. Once the simple syrup is cold, you are ready to make sorbet.

The process is the same for all sorbets. Puree the fruit, mix with the syrup, chill, and freeze in the ice cream maker. You can serve it then; but, it is better if you can let it harden in the freezer for an hour. It usually takes 30 to 45 minutes to churn freeze the sorbet in a table top ice cream maker. The kind I use is one where you keep a cylinder in the freezer. The recipes are intended for use in the half gallon cylinders. If alcohol is used in the syrup you will need to let the sorbet harden in the freezer, or you will have a cold soup.

The following are few of my more success full attempts:

Buy one of those personal small, seedless watermelons. One of the small melons yields around two gallons of sorbet. Use an ice cream scoop to remove the fruit and place into a blender and puree. Blend a few scoops at a time. Remove from blender. Separate 1-1/2 cups of the puree and place back into the blender. Add the simple syrup, a tablespoon of lemon juice, and a dash of salt. Mix the ingredients thoroughly and chill mixture in refrigerator for an hour, or more. Mix in an ice cream maker and place in freezer for an hour.

You will need a food mill to make this sorbet. Acquire a pint or two of blue berries from your local grocery store. Process them through the food mill until you have a 1-1/2 cups of the puree. Use the smallest setting. The food processor is not a good substitute. Add the puree and a tablespoon of lemon juice and chill mixture in refrigerator for an hour. Churn the mixture in the ice cream maker. This sorbet will have an interesting texture

One pint of strawberries plus a few more will yield 3 cups of puree easily. Be sure to remove the stems before you puree the berries. In the blender, add the simple syrup and one of the following:

Add lemon juice if you like a more tart taste, or, add vanilla extract if you want something sweeter.

Blend and chill for an hour and freeze it in the ice cream maker. Be sure to run this one for forty five minutes or you may wind up with a block of strawberry ice.

Usually two banana will be enough for a half gallon of sorbet. This recipe requires some extra steps. Peel the bananas and freeze them overnight. The next day thaw them out. Reduce an ounce of Light Rum by half and let cool. Mix the syrup, thawed fruit, bananas, and rum in a blender and chill for an hour.

Freeze in ice cream maker and serve.

If you don’t want to use real rum, two teaspoons of extract will work just as well.

My information is gathered from many different sources. You should do the same The ones I used for this article are listed below:

www.foodnetwork.com

Williams Sonoma Dessert, by Chuck Williams

http://www.Wikipedia.org

The Hitchhikers Guide to The Galaxy, by Douglas Adams