DIY Sorbet Redux

Okay… since making my first batch of sorbet, I guess you could say I’ve been a sorbet addict.  I learned a few things in the process that I wanted to share and have 2 new recipes.

First: don’t skimp on the sugar. As I noted in the last post, you want the mixture to be slightly too sweet because as it freezes, the freezing process will dull the sweetness.  In my first batch, I used a 50/50 splenda sugar blend and regular sugar. The overall taste wasn’t compromised; it was good. But, the consistency was a bit icy. I didn’t mind, but on the tongue it reminded me of an ice cream that had been melted and refrozen– sort of lumpy and coarse. This coarseness seemed to get a little worse, a little more icy, the longer it sat in the freezer. I made 2 and a half quarts, which lasted a little under a week in the freezer. By the end of the batch, what was left in the container was very icy. The flavor was fine, but the consistency was very hard and not like a sorbet at all. The new batches, one used some of the splenda/sugar blend but not as much, was a beautiful sorbet consistency– even the next day.  It was also easier to scoop and had a more velvety, smooth texture.

Second: cool the mixture first before freezing. This second batch actually took longer to freeze– almost twice as long. I think that might have been because I popped it in the freezer while it was still hot. The first batch I allowed to cool down a bit and then put in the fridge for a while to really cool. It wasn’t cold, but it certainly was at room temp, a little cooler.

Third: make sure you don’t start this too late in the day and that you have enough time to spend checking on the mix. Since it takes a while to freeze, you may want to make this the day before you need or want it. Don’t plan on having it in time for a dinner party; make it a day or so in advance.

Fourth: don’t bite off more than you can chew. I decided to try both of these recipes at the same time and I almost wound up running out of space in the freezer.  In retrospect, I’ll stick to one flavor at a time.

Fifth: the sky is the limit for taste combinations. Whatever you like, try it– at least once. 

The process is pretty much the same as before. 

Lemon Sorbet with Fresh Thyme

I love the flavor of thyme and lemon.  I had a massive amount of fresh thyme languishing in the fridge and had an enormous bag of lemons, so it was really a no-brainer.

Don’t try this unless you have a LOT of fresh lemons and fresh thyme. You can use lemon thyme, but I think that will give a different flavor as some lemon thymes have a bit of an anise undertone.  I wound up using almost 2 pounds of lemons for this recipe. 

Ingredients:

• the zest of 6 lemons, finely grated
• the zest of 3-4 lemons cut into wide strips using a vegetable peeler
• 2 cups of freshly squeezed lemon juice, with some pulp
• 2 fistfuls of fresh thyme (about a whole bunch, leaves and stems washed and drained)
• 1 cup of Moscato
• 8 cups of cold water
• 3 cups of sugar
• 1 cup of sugar/splenda blend
• More sugar on hand if needed 

Hardware:

• stick blender
• a large 10 cup non-reactive heavy-bottomed pot (for the stove) with tight-fitting lid
• a large 10-12 cup non-reactive stock pot or a heatproof mixing bowl of equal size
• measuring cups
• a freezer safe rectangular baking pan at least 2-3 inches deep
• a rasp or grater
• a vegetable peeler
• knife and cutting board
• silicone spatula
• small sieve or fine strainer  
• lemon juicer 
•  three quart sized containers to store the final product (this makes for about 2 and a half pints, a little less)

1. Into a heavy bottomed pot, add the thyme and the large strips of lemon zest. Pour in the cold water and place on medium high heat until it comes up to a simmer.  Stir in the sweetener and keep stirring until the sugars completely dissolve. At this point the taste should be cloyingly sweet. Remember, you’ll be adding lemon juice which will bring down the sweetness AND you’ll be freezing this, which again will bring down the sweetness.  You need this amount of sugar to make sure the consistency is smooth and even. 

2.  Cover, reduce heat to medium, and allow to simmer for 5-10 minutes, stirring to make sure it doesn’t burn. Then remove from the heat and allow to steep for 30-40 minutes or until the flavor is very strong.

3. While it’s steeping, grate the zest into a bowl. Then juice your lemons, straining out the seeds but leaving in a good amount of pulp.  Add the juice to the bowl with the zest. This prevents the zest from drying out by preventing the essential oils in the lemon from completely evaporating.

4. Once you’re happy with the flavor of the thyme mixture, carefully strain it into a your stock pot. A few thyme leaves aren’t a tragedy, but make sure there are no woody ends and no large pieces of zest.    

5. To the strained mixture add the lemon juice and zest mixture and the wine.  Taste. It should be a bit too sweet.  If it’s still a bit tart, add a little more sugar. 

6. Allow this mixture to come to room temperature completely. Place in the fridge to cool. As I said earlier, I  made the mistake of popping it in the freezer while hot and it took about 9 hours to freeze and even after that much time, I had to just place it in a container while it was semi frozen because I had to go to work in the morning (and it was almost 1am).  So, allow the mix to cool significantly before pouring it into a large, shallow rectangular freezer-safe pan. I use a lasagna pan. Pop in the freezer.  

7. Every hour, like clockwork, remove the pan from the freezer and, using the stick blender, blend it, being sure to scrape down the sides using the spatula. Once the mixture starts freezing, you can check on it every 30-40 minutes.

8. Once frozen, store in containers and be sure to label and date them– just in case you’ve forgotten you made the best damned lemon sorbet in the world.

Maple Turmeric Sorbet with Ginger and Lemon

Yes. You heard me: turmeric sorbet.  If you’ve never tasted fresh turmeric, you don’t know what you’re missing until you do. Fresh turmeric root tastes nothing like the dry stuff. It’s sort of like saffron in that there is no other taste in the world like it.  Fresh turmeric can be very overpowering though. It’s floral and pungent with a slight warming quality, like ginger. If you can find it– which isn’t easy– then absolutely try it. If you can’t, then you can still make an amazing sorbet with just the ginger and maple. The color won’t be so brilliantly orange though.

Be sure to use fresh ginger root and fresh lemon. Also, only use the darkest maple syrup you can buy. Don’t go for the store bought grade A light nonsense. You want the darkest so you can actually taste the maple and the rich notes of caramel. If you thought that maple syrup was maple syrup– check out this great article. And, Goddess forbid, don’t use any maple flavored syrups. No Aunt Jemima. No pancake syrup. Use only the best. And use local if you can get it.

Ingredients:

• 37 grams of fresh tumeric root
• 200 grams of fresh ginger root
• the zest of 2 lemons cut into wide strips
• 2 bottles of Fentiman’s Victorian Lemonade
• 4 cups of cold water
• 2 cups of seriously dark maple syrup
• 2 cups of cane sugar
• 1 cup of moscato
• the zest of 1 lemon, finely grated
• the juice of 1 lemon

Hardware

• stick blender
• a large 10 cup non-reactive heavy-bottomed pot (for the stove) with tight-fitting lid
• a large 10-12 cup non-reactive stock pot or a heatproof mixing bowl of equal size
• measuring cups
• a freezer safe rectangular baking pan at least 2-3 inches deep
• a rasp or grater
• a vegetable peeler
• knife and cutting board
• silicone spatula
• small sieve or fine strainer  
• lemon juicer 
• food grade gloves
• digital scale capable of measuring in grams
•  three quart sized containers to store the final product (this makes for about 2 and a half pints, a little less)

 1. Carefully wash and trim the turmeric. It’s not necessary to peel it, just make sure it’s trimmed nicely. Measure out the quantity. It doesn’t seem like a lot, but you don’t want

the whole batch to be too floral otherwise it will taste like soap.  Then slice the turmeric into rounds or strips. Unless you want orange hands like Bert’s pal Ernie, make sure you wear gloves.

2. Repeat the process with the ginger, but it’s not necessary to wear gloves. 

3.  Add your sliced root and large pieces of zest to the heavy bottomed pot. Add water and Fentiman’s Lemonade. Place on medium-high heat, cover, and bring up to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium and allow to simmer for 15-20 minutes, checking periodically to make sure the water hasn’t evaporated and the mixture isn’t burning.


4. After 15-20 minutes, add the maple syrup and sugar. Stir thoroughly to combine. Allow to simmer for 2-3 minutes, turn off, cover, and remove from the heat.  Allow mixture to steep and cool for at least 1 hour.

5. Meanwhile, zest and juice your remaining lemon.

6. Once the ginger mixture has steeped, carefully strain into your other stock pot.  To that add your lemon juice, zest, and wine.  Taste. As before, the mix should be a tad too sweet but not cloying.  Add more sugar or lemon juice should you think it necessary.

7.  If the mix isn’t at room temperature, pop the mix in the fridge to cool a bit more. Once it’s at room temp, pour into deep pan and pop in the freezer.  Follow steps 7 & 8 above until the mixture is frozen.  Once frozen, store in quart containers.