May 30, 2008
Orange Sorbet

While searching for a light, fruity sorbet for a dinner we had not so long ago, we came across David Lebovitz’s recipe for Blood Orange Sorbet. It sounded perfect – and indeed, it was very good.
I just used normal oranges, seeing as blood oranges weren’t really in season, and not all that accessible on short notice. Ten oranges (including two really big, juicy ones) gave just over three cups of orange juice, which made enough sorbet to easily feed seven people (and we had a fair amount left over for ourselves the next day).
This was not the best sorbet I’ve had, but it was nice. The recipe says not to bother with straining out the pulp, but the pulpy bits got frozen and did disrupt the texture; next time, we will give the pulp a few spins in the food processor. Also, Soli thought it was too sugary sweet – the oranges already are so sweet, that perhaps less sugar could also be added.
Overall, this was perfect for a summer dessert, and really simple to prepare. I had attempted (again!) to make tuile cookies to go with it, but they failed (as tuiles – we were left with smallish broken tuile bits, which were tasty, but not much for presentation).
(Blood) Orange Sorbet
adapted from David Lebovitz’s recipe
1. Juice your (blood) oranges. Then measure the juice.
2. For each 1 cup (250ml) of juice, figure 1/4 cup (50g) of granulated sugar to be added. (I think you could get away with less!)
For example: Use 1/2 cup (100g) sugar for 2 cups juice (500ml).
3. Put the sugar in a small, non-reactive saucepan. Add just enough juice to saturate it very well. Heat, stirring frequently, until the sugar is completely dissolved.
4. Stir the sugar back into the reserved blood orange juice.
5. Chill thoroughly, then freeze in your ice cream maker.
Other notes he makes in the recipe:
- You can use tangerine, orange, grapefruit, or blood orange juice. Just be sure to use fresh juice, which will taste much better than the pre-packaged juice you buy.
- Room temperature citrus fruits will yield much more juice than chilled ones.
- There’s no need to strain out the pulp. I never do. (Though definitely consider food processing it!)
- Because there are no stabilizers added, citrus sorbets are best eaten a few hours after they’re churned. If you plan to serve it another day, remove it from the freezer 5-10 minutes prior to serving. (You might wish to consult Tips For Making Homemade Ice Cream Softer.)
- If you want to use an alternative sweetener, such as honey or agave, use 3/4s of the amount in place of the sugar. For example, in lieu of 1 cup sugar, use 3/4 cup honey instead.
- If you want to add Champagne or sparkling wine, about 2 tablespoons per cup (250ml) is about right. A bit of wine will improve the consistency. (We did add champagne; I think it added something, though it wasn’t a big difference)
- Don’t toss the peels away. The can be candied and just a few rinds will reward you with enough candied peels to last you months and months. I never throw them away.





































