First Sorbet Attempt
Yesterday, I tried out my new Cuisinart Sorbet / Ice Cream / Frozen Yogurt maker for the first time to make orange sorbet. I wanted to find a recipe that didn't call for high fructose corn syrup and thought this recipe sounded perfect. I used these weird navel oranges that looked and smelled like grapefruit, but tasted like oranges. The recipe calls for 4 oranges and that's kind of imprecise, because I had more than enough liquid with the syrup and the large oranges without having to add any water. The sorbet maker worked like a charm. I added the liquid and let it turn for about 25 minutes. In the photo, you can see the view from the top as it was spinning around. The result was a liquidy slushy, which I poured into a screw-top ziplock container and put in the freezer. The sorbet maker instructions said that it needed to go in there for a minimum of 2 hours, so I figured 24 hours would do nicely.
I ended up with excellent sorbet and even subjected non-family members to it. It was pretty hard when we took it out of the freezer, so it needed to sit out for about 20 minutes. After that it was pretty much the perfect consistency. I'll definitely use this recipe again, but I'm also eager to try out other flavors. Thanks for recommending the Cuisinart, Camilla!
Absolutely the best sorbet I have ever eaten!
ReplyDeleteOne of the things the corn syrup will help with is texture: the long-chain sugars in it interfere with ice crystal formation, and keep the sorbet smoother. You don't have to use a lot. If I'm modifying an all-sugar recipe, I usually ditch about 25% of the sugar and replace it with an equal volume of corn syrup. The sorbet will be slightly less sweet, with a better texture.
ReplyDeleteIf you want it to be softer when you take it out of the freezer, use more sugar. Or add a couple tablespoons of an appropriately-flavored liqueur to the mix before freezing.
If you continue to be interested in sorbets, I suggest finding a copy of Harold McGee's The Curious Cook, just for the one chapter on fruit ices and the tables for them. It's great.
Thanks, Joe. It's good to know the actual reasons why it makes sense to add the corn syrup, rather than merely being suspicious about the corn lobby. :)
ReplyDeleteI've been pleased with the texture so far, so I probably won't add corn syrup just yet. I'm trying to keep it as healthy as possible and if I buy a bottle of corn syrup, I'm just going to end up making a batch of peanut butter fudge and eating the whole thing. That's just not healthy at all. ;)
Thanks for recommending the book! It looks fascinating and I added it to my wish list immediately. I'm sure I'll be getting it for myself soon. :)