Chocolate sorbet: recipe and rememberings 9 August 2007 10:28 pm
Posted by Tracy in : chocolate, cooking, dessert, eating, friends, kitchen gear, recipes, seasonality, sorbet, summer, vegan, vegetarian , trackbackMmm, chocolate. Is there anything it can’t do? Well, for a time, I thought it couldn’t be refreshing, because a big part of what makes chocolate so awesome is the fat. Not that there’s anything wrong with that! It’s just a little heavy, say on a hot summer day. But then I learned about chocolate sorbet, and life got just that much more beautiful. Sorbet is awesome year-round, of course, but it’s perhaps the perfect dessert for the hottest days of summer, when it’s too hot for even ice cream (even the vegan kinds). So chocolate sorbet? A big winner all around, I tell you what. And now for a little flashback to my first experience with this fabulous dessert.
* * * * *
2001 was an eventful year for my family: my brother graduated high school, I finished four years of college (with only one class left on a dual degree, I didn’t quite graduate, but close enough), my mom turned 50, my dad was 60, and the family business celebrated its 25th anniversary. Nobody believed us when we explained that the confluence of all these events was a coincidence. Much merry-making ensued in May, roughly smack-dab in the middle of all these exciting goings-on. For the most part, our friends turned out to be a well-trained bunch: we asked for no presents, and received very few. But one couple insisted on treating us to a spectacular home-cooked dinner (a gift idea that really needs to catch on all over the place if you ask me, but I digress).
It began with wine and cheese beforehand, then smoked salmon and aquavit to lead us into the meal (yum), followed by salad, then a main course of red cabbage and roast duck done to perfection and accompanied unironically by potato chips — our host insists they’re essential with duck “for the salt,” our hostess explained. But for me the most exciting moment of the evening was definitely dessert.
An assortment of sorbet accompanied fresh berries and crème fraiche — and introduced me to the joy that is chocolate sorbet.
Imagine, if you can, the taste of a really rich chocolate ice cream with the light yet dense consistency of sorbet, and you’re getting there. It was totally unexpected, yet completely appropriate in the context of a light, palate-cleansing final course. A rich, creamy chocolate would have left us feeling weighed down, outright clobbered by another heavy taste, but this had all the rich taste we wanted with no endless aftertaste, so we could enjoy bites of each of the other rich fruity flavors available to us without any more blurring between them than we chose. It was a masterfully executed watercolor for the taste buds, easing us out of the meal and on our way home (after, of course, indulging in our choice of delicious after-dinner liqueurs).
If you’re curious to experience a homemade version of what I’ve just waxed all lyrical about, keep reading for a recipe. Or if you don’t have an ice cream machine, try Häagen-Dazs chocolate sorbet some time. It’s the best (by which I mean only) kind I’ve found in stores. Please note that although this delicacy is lactose-free, the H-D version is unfortunately not vegan (contains eggs). But this recipe is! So please, if you have the technology and are feeling super-cool, try making your own chocolate sorbet (what follows is more or less based on the recipe that came with our ice cream maker, tweaked here and there) and let me know how it turns out for you.
CAUTION: If you are one of those “milk chocolate only” freaks, this stuff might make you cry. Actually, if you’re into super-delicious dark chocolatey goodness, it might also make you cry, but for exactly the opposite reason. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
What You Need (Ingredients and Equipment)
- ice cream maker (sorry)
- 1 quart saucepan
- a whisk (optional, but will make your life much easier)
- 2 cups water
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Dutch process because it’s what was around but I don’t see why natural wouldn’t be fine too)
- 1 teaspoon salt (with special thanks to Alton Brown)
- 1 tablespoon instant coffee powder (optional but adds delicious bitterness, so if you like coffee you could also substitute it for some of the water)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract (or 2-3 TB of a tasty liqueur that goes well with chocolate, like Grand Marnier, triple sec, Kahlua, Amaretto… you get the idea)
What You Do
Combine the water (or coffee) and sugars (and instant coffee, if using) in your saucepan and warm over medium heat until the sugars are dissolved. Whisk in the cocoa powder (or you can use a spoon if you must but it will take much longer and be more frustrating). Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for two minutes, stirring constantly. Turn off the heat; transfer the mixture to a heatproof bowl, stir in the vanilla or liqueur, and try not to drink the result. Instead, chill it in the refrigerator for at least two hours.
When you’re ready to freeze the mixture, take it out of the fridge and give it a stir. Set up your ice cream machine and turn it on; pour in the chocolatey goodness and let it work for as long as it takes to thicken up. Follow the instructions for your machine; mine makes kickass soft serve but if you want something more scoopable you have to freeze it up a while longer after you take it out of the machine.
Makes about 3 1/2 cups sorbet — I will not presume to dictate serving sizes, because on the one hand, it’s like a very grownup Fudgesicle, but on the other hand, dang it’s strong, and a little goes a long way, maybe just a teeny ball, with lots of fresh fruit.
Enjoy!
Comments»
My Trader Joe’s carries Sharon’s sorbet, which I’ve tried in Lemon and Coconut. I think I’ve seen chocolate from that company as well. Those are advertised as dairy free, and looking at the nutrition chart online, seem to be egg free as well.
Oddly, I was at TJ’s earlier this week, but I think we skipped the frozen aisle. I’ll have to check the ice cream case for chocolate sorbet next time. Meanwhile, I have homemade fudgesicle for grownups! Woo! Vegan treats all around!
Next time you’re in NJ you’ll have to come to Princeton’s The Bent Spoon. Best….sorbet…..ever. Especially when they use in-season Jersey produce. Basil sorbet? Awesome.
Basil sorbet sounds awesome. I have seen but not tasted tomato sorbet, which I am still meaning to attempt with homegrown goodness (and the romas are starting to redden, so I may be on this experiment sooner than I think). Woo crazy food experiments!
And now that you mention it? I’ll be making a surgical-strike trip to NJ the weekend of the 18th. Check your email!