You can go extravagant with frozen desserts or you can keep it simple. Right now I’m talking simple.
Every time we have a family gathering planned around the corner, one of the number one desserts we all think of serving is sorbet. It is sweet, tangy and cool. Since sorbets barely contains anything other than water, it is much lower in calories as compared to ice creams.
If you have never made sorbet yourself, you are probably wondering what sorbet is made out of, and how it is made. Sorbet is a classic dessert which is made using two main ingredients – water that has been sweetened with sugar and a choice of flavoring such as honey, fruit juice or fruit puree.
So, if you have a summer fruit, then why not try this recipe out? For making a quart of sorbet, about two pounds of sugar and five cups of your choice of chopped fruit will suffice. Basically, to make a sorbet, a puree is made from the fruit with a little sugar. This is the basic base used to make a sorbet. However, since there are a variety of fruits used to make sorbets, this may vary from recipe.
Here’s a basic recipe that you can use to make any sorbet of your choice.
Step 1: Prepare your choice of fruit.
Make sure that you wash and dry whatever fruit you are using. Remove any peels, seeds or rinds or any parts which are not edible. Slice into small, bite-sized pieces. About 5 cups of fruit is required, but it’s your choice if you wanna give or take.
Step 2: Prepare Syrup.
Mix water and sugar in saucepan and simmer over medium heat. Stir once or twice. Make sure the sugar has completely dissolved. Remove the mixture once dissolved, and let it cool.
Step 3: Prepare mixture for blending.
In a blender, mix fruit and about half of the sugar syrup which you made earlier.
Step 4: Make sure you Blend till it has blended well.
The consistency that you are going for is completely liquid, with no chunks of fruit in it.
Step 5: Strain juice.
If you are using any fruits with small seeds, like strawberries, or has fibre, like in the case of mangoes, then this process is a must. Strain through mesh strainer. Gently press with a spoon, but don’t press too hard that the solids also go through.
Step 6: Check sugar levels using egg-float test.
For this step, you need to first wash, and then dry a large egg. Now, slowly lower the egg into the sorbet base. About 1-inch round of shell must show above the sorbet liquid Рthis means that you have the right amount of sugar. If you see only a dime-sized shell, it means you need more sugar. If you see a quarter-sized shell, it means you need to add a little more water or the fruit pur̩e/juice.
Step 7: Pour lemon juice.
About 1 tablespoon of lemon juice should be sufficient for the amount of ingredients mentioned above. If it’s too sweet or too bland, you can add more or less of lemon juice.
Step 8: Churn sorbet.
Pour the base into the ice cream machine after chilling, for churning. The consistency should be like a smoothie that is thick.
Step 9: Freeze.
Shift the sorbet mixture into a container of your choice and freeze for 4-5 hours.
The weather is getting warmer quickly so break out your ice cream makers and try some homemade sorbet for yourself!