Regardless of what climate you live in and whether you’re looking for a dessert that will keep you cool or simply satisfy your sweet tooth, you really can’t go wrong with a delicious and refreshing sorbet ice cream! And the best thing is that you can easily make your ideal sorbet blend with whatever fruit you have at your disposal or purely enjoy the taste of the most. There’s no need to focus on the limited options of store-bought dessert when the true delight can be created with your own hands and in your kitchen.
What Is a Fruit Sorbet?
Sorbet is one of the oldest foods that is still a popular snack today. Both sorbet and gelato can be traced as far back as 3000 B.C. Some people believe that sorbet was discovered by Asians when they tried mixing crushed ice and flavoring. Other people believe that this practice was common by the Roman Emperor Nero, Marco Polo, and Catherine de’ Medici.
This brings us back to the question: what exactly is a fruit sorbet? Fruit sorbet is defined as a frozen dessert or snack that is made from 1-part frozen fruit and ¼ part sugary water or liquor – depending on the person who is going to eat the snack.
Why Do People Like Fruit Sorbet?
Sorbet is not only a tasty snack, but it is also very healthy, depending on how much sugar you add to the fray. Fruit sorbet is a universal dessert that is enjoyed all over the world and is much more preferred over ice cream in some regions. Sorbet ice cream is also a thing, which should be healthier than chemically produced sugar. It’s even used to cure sore throat and itchy coughs.
Another reason why people like sorbet is because you can make sorbet out of any fruit. If you like guava, you can make guava sorbet. If you like mangos, you can make mango sorbet. And so on and so forth; you get the gist.
How to Make Fruit Sorbet?
Finally to the point! You can indeed make sorbet with any fruit but it’s also worth noting that some fruits taste better than the others when it comes to sorbet. In the end, it mostly depends on the person’s preferences. Some people don’t like or eat dairy products, and this is where sorbet can help them find an icy dessert without having too long for traditional ice cream.
The main sorbet ingredients are as follow:
- Fruit – Whatever fruit you prefer, though keep in mind that dry fruit sorbet is very difficult to make
- Water – Needed to dilute the mixture and make it creamier
- Sugar – Though not necessary it can help enhance the taste of the sorbet
- Lemon – To spice up the taste and make sure that the texture is maintained even after freezing the dessert
- Ice cream machine – To churn up the fruit and water mixture and get the ideal texture
- Food processor or blender – To process the fruit and make it creamy with no big chunks
- Freezer – To keep the sorbet nice and cold so it can be enjoyed afterward
You can use other ingredients such as liquor and salt, but only if you so wish or try to create a more unique, party-friendly dessert.
Step-by-Step Guide:
1. Strain the fruit that you want to make a sorbet out of and get rid of all the fibers – we won’t be needing those when we make this dessert. You can use a food processor to blend the fruit until there are no chunks and then get rid of the extra fiber.
2. As we mentioned before, we will be needing 1-part frozen fruit and ¼ -part sugary solution to make the sorbet delicious.
3. You can even mix up several different fruits for an exceptional taste, though we would only recommend this for advanced testing. For beginners, it’s best to stick to a single flavored sorbet.
4. Add the fruit strain in a large bowl with a sugary solution and stir until they are completely mixed. Add in lemon extract or salt depending on how spicy or punchy you want the sorbet to be.
5. Refrigerate the solution for at least 2 hours on medium to high settings. If you are using an older refrigerator, the setting should be around 6-7 out of 9.
6. Take out the sorbet solution and add it to the ice cream maker. Set the maker to churn it for at least 20 minutes – until the solution becomes gooey and smooth.
7. If you don’t have a churning ice cream machine, get a baking sheet and spread fruit in an even layer that can then be frozen. Take it out and heat it over medium heat on a saucepan with sugar and water.
8. Stir until the solution seems completely dissolved and cool it at room temperature. Blend the solution with any syrup in the food processor. Slowly add lemon juice and blend.
9. Take out the solution and put it in a container that can be refrigerated later on.
10. Get the solution out in 3 to 4 hours and put it in a bowl for at least 10 minutes before serving. Your sorbet is ready to be eaten. Experiment around to see what kind of taste plays the best with your taste buds.
How to Make Sorbet Smooth?
No sorbet recipe solely focuses on making it smooth, but an easy way to figure out whether your sorbet is smooth enough is with an interesting egg trick. If you add too little sugar into the water solution, the sorbet will become icy. If you add too much sugar, the sorbet will become slushy and thick.
- Wash and dry a large egg and gently lower it into the sorbet mixture.
- If you see about an inch of an egg sticking out on the surface, the sorbet is good enough.
- If you see little or too much of the egg, you need to make some changes with your technique.
- Too little sugar will make the egg sink to the bottom, while too much sugar will make it float too high.
You can enjoy your sorbet any way you want. If you prefer a more adult taste, you can even add in liquor into the mixture and enjoy it thoroughly in the evening or even serve it as a special treat for parties and gatherings.
Of course, we all know that some days are simply lazier than the others. If you don’t feel like entering your kitchen at all yet you desire something sweet, refreshing, and delicious, feel free to pay us a visit at Glass and Vine restaurant. We pride ourselves on the most serene garden setting by the water as well as the delicious menu you won’t be able to resist, especially after a long day. Hopefully, both your taste buds and your other senses will be dazzled and energized through our amazing meal and dessert selection as well as the beautiful nature surrounding our restaurant. We all deserve some time to enjoy ourselves to the fullest and we at Glass and Vine are happy to provide our customers with those special moments.
