Sorbet

I took an ice cream class a few years back that included making sorbet. Since then I’ve never made ice cream, but I now consider sorbet to be one of my specialties. You puree fruit, add some simple syrup and throw it in your ice cream maker. Easy peasy!

My favorites are mango, strawberry, peach, and pineapple (with a splash of spiced rum). We are in the midst of strawberry season here in south Florida and I couldn't turn down a half flat of strawberries for under $8.  I made some plain strawberry sorbet last week, and yesterday I made some more, but I spiced it up by adding a can of Coco Lopez. Yum!

I don’t use any recipes for sorbet. Instead I rely on my best parlor trick – floating a whole raw egg in your sorbet mixture. (Yes, still in the shell. Clean it and use it later.) Make whatever flavor combination for your sorbet and mix in some simple syrup. When the egg floats with about a nickel-sized amount above the surface, you have a mixture that is perfectly sweetened and will freeze well (not too soft, not too many ice crystals, etc.).  If the egg sinks you need to add more simple syrup (sugar) and if the egg is more buoyant you need to add some water or more fruit. Science is so cool!

I do a few other things to my sorbets. I always add a tablespoon or two of lime juice, and a pinch of salt. I think these just really give any flavors punch. I put my sorbet mixture through a strainer so that it is smooth. This is most important with strawberry (oh, the seeds!) and pineapple (oh, the strings!).

I’ve also learned that if you are using a very watery fruit (like watermelon), it has a tendency to freeze harder than other flavors. Adding a little bit of alcohol keeps the sorbet from getting too hard.