Sorbet is not just a classic in dessert cuisine. It has also established itself as an intermediate course that refreshes the palate and prepares it for further enjoyment. A lemon sorbet on hot days: hard to beat. One of the advantages of the sorbet is that it is made without milk and cream, making it perfect for those who suffer from lactose allergies.
It’s mostly iced fruit, which is why it’s vegan, super healthy, and getting a lot of attention with the vegan cooking boom. For the sake of completeness, the Sherbet should also be mentioned in this context, although it is hardly known to the general public. Sherbet is similar to sorbet, except that it contains a small amount of milk.
The Arabs are said to have invented sorbet, and it came to Europe in the 16th century. One of the great things about sorbet is that it can be made from any fruit that comes along throughout the year. Whether rhubarb, berries, apricots, nectarines, peaches, quince, apples, pears, citrus fruits, mango or pineapple – the choice is endless.
Each fruit has what it takes to be transformed into a delicious sorbet. It can be prepared all year round – a cross-seasonal delicacy. Do you have a garden where you harvest fruit? Great, from now on you can use it in one more way (if you don’t already do it).
Unfortunately, we cannot provide a basic recipe that works with a wide variety of fruits at this point. Depending on the fruit, the sugar and water content changes. You could easily swap cinnamon for vanilla or coffee powder in a crème ice cream, but you can’t do that with sorbet.
Here is a recipe for a mango sorbet. You need: 400 grams of ripe, juicy mango flesh, which corresponds to about two peeled mangoes. Cut the flesh into small pieces, place in a freezer bag and place in the freezer the day before making.
When it’s time to prepare it, place a shaker in the freezer one hour before you start making the sorbet. First you need to make a syrup from 100 milliliters of clear apple juice, two tablespoons of brown sugar and two tablespoons of orange juice. Bring the liquid to a vigorous boil, then simmer for a minute and then allow to cool.
Next you need the juice and zest of half a lime. In the frozen blender jar, add all the ingredients: the frozen mango flesh, the syrup, and the lime. Blend until the consistency is creamy. Voila. All that’s left is to taste it, preferably with a shot of vodka (which makes the sorbet an adult-only delicacy).
High-proof alcohol prevents crystallization. You probably know this: If you have stored ice cream in the freezer for a long time, ice crystals will eventually form. If the ice contains alcohol, the freezing point changes and the crystals do not form. The second benefit of adding alcohol is that it’s a flavor booster. A blackberry sorbet, refined with a dash of blackberry liqueur or whiskey, can hardly be topped in terms of taste. Tequila is also ideal for refining a sorbet.
The tip
You don’t even need to buy popsicles in the supermarket or at the kiosk. You can easily do it yourself. First, get ice molds (with a built-in style, there are a number of designs available at specialty stores or online). For a homemade raspberry ice cream you need: 500 grams of raspberries. 320 milliliters of water. 110 grams of sugar. One to two tablespoons of lime juice.
Mix everything together, pour into the mold and freeze for six to eight hours. Works with all berries in this proportion and can be stored in the freezer for up to eight weeks. A great activity for children, by the way: Homemade ice cream on a stick tastes just that little bit better.
Walter Stemberg and his son Sascha run the star restaurant “Haus Stemberg” in Velbert, whose star in the “Guide Michelin” restaurant guide was recently confirmed for the ninth year in a row. The Stembergs write about the basics of cooking in WELT AM SONNTAG. All episodes to read online.