Sorbet

Raspberry Sorbet

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: For our raspberry sorbet recipe, we super-chilled the base and used just the right ratio of sweeteners to water to ensure the finest-textured ice crystals possible. We also bumped up the berries’ natural amount of pectin to give the sorbet stability both in the freezer and out.

Super-chilling part of the sorbet base before transferring it to the ice cream maker will keep ice crystals to a minimum. If using a canister-style ice cream maker, be sure to freeze the empty canister for at least 24 hours and preferably 48 hours before churning. For self-refrigerating ice cream makers, prechill the canister by running the machine for five to 10 minutes before pouring in the sorbet mixture. Allow the sorbet to sit at room temperature for five minutes to soften before serving. Fresh or frozen berries may be used. If using frozen berries, thaw them before proceeding. Make certain that you use Sure-Jell engineered for low- or no-sugar recipes (packaged in a pink box) and not regular Sure-Jell (in a yellow box).

Ingredients

1	cup water
1	teaspoon Sure-Jell for Less or No Sugar Needed Recipes
⅛	teaspoon salt
1¼	pounds (4 cups) raspberries
½	cup (3½ ounces) plus 2 tablespoons sugar (150g)
¼	cup light corn syrup

Directions

1. Combine water, Sure-Jell, and salt in medium saucepan. Heat over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until Sure-Jell is fully dissolved, about 5 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat and allow mixture to cool slightly, about 10 minutes.
2. Process raspberries, sugar, corn syrup, and water mixture in blender or food processor until smooth, about 30 seconds. Strain mixture through fine-mesh strainer, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Transfer 1 cup mixture to small bowl and place remaining mixture in large bowl. Cover both bowls with plastic wrap. Place large bowl in refrigerator and small bowl in freezer and cool completely, at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours. (Small bowl of base will freeze solid.)
3. Remove mixtures from refrigerator and freezer. Scrape frozen base from small bowl into large bowl of base. Stir occasionally until frozen base has fully dissolved. Transfer mixture to ice cream maker and churn until mixture has consistency of thick milkshake and color lightens, 15 to 25 minutes.
4. Transfer sorbet to airtight container, pressing firmly to remove any air pockets, and freeze until firm, at least 2 hours. Serve. (Sorbet can be frozen for up to 5 days.)

Variations

Raspberry–Lime Rickey Sorbet

Reduce water to ¾ cup. Add 2 teaspoons grated lime zest and ¼ cup lime juice to blender with raspberries.

Raspberry-Port Sorbet

Substitute ruby port for water in step 1.

Raspberry Sorbet with Ginger and Mint

Substitute ginger beer for water in step 1. Add 2-inch piece of peeled and thinly sliced ginger and ¼ cup mint leaves to blender with raspberries. Decrease amount of sugar to ½ cup.

Source: America's Test Kitchen

Summer Sorbet

Ingredients

2	pounds or 970g fresh fruit, any combination of berries or stone fruit One quart strawberries ~= 1.5 lbs
8	ounces or 227g sugar
1	ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
½	ounce vodka
	Pinch kosher salt

Directions

1. Berries: Rinse, stem and halve large strawberries. Peel the stone fruits, halve, pit, and chop larger specimens into 1/2-inch pieces.
2. Puree the fruit in a food processor along with the sugar, lemon juice, vodka and salt. Pour into another vessel and refrigerate until the mixture reaches at least 40 degrees F, 4 to 6 hours.
3. Churn in an ice cream machine according to the manufacturer's instructions until the mixture resembles soft serve ice cream. Freeze for at least 4 hours in an airtight container or until ready to serve

Two pounds of strawberries is almost two quart boxes.

Source: Alton Brown

Watermelon Sorbet

Ingredients

1 pound, 5 ounces	diced watermelon, muskmelon or honeydew
3	tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2	tablespoons vodka
9	ounces sugar, approximately 1 1/4 cups

Directions

1. Place the melon in the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth. Add the lemon juice, vodka, and sugar and process for another 30 seconds. Place the mixture into the refrigerator until the mixture reaches 40 degrees F; depending on the temperature of your ingredients and refrigerator, this could take 30 minutes to 1 hour.
2. Pour the chilled mixture into the bowl of an ice cream maker and process according to manufacturer's directions. Transfer the sorbet to an airtight container and place in the freezer for 3 to 4 hours before serving.

Source: Alton Brown