Plant Based Recipes: Fruit Sorbets

Although winter time is upon us, a cold refreshing treat is never a bad idea. Sorbets are really easy to make, and you can use fruit that you have in the house. Not only are they easy to make, but they are much healthier than ice cream or sherbet. I made 2 sorbets that were recommended from the "Oh she glows everyday" cookbook, and they both seemed really delicious. The first one is a mango-coconut-lime sorbet, and the second one is a Raspberry-Banana sorbet. Both of these recipes have ingredients that i would have never thought to add, which make them more flavorful and unique!

The ingredients in the mango-coconut-lime sorbet included mangoes, lime, coconut cream, and water. All of these ingredients go into a food processor or blender to make it nice and smooth. The recipe didn't call for water, however i added some to help it blend better. Angela Liddon says "The Mango-Coconut-Lime sorbet is rich and full bodied, so its a hybrid of fruity sorbet and traditional ice cream." However, i found that this sorbet did not live up to its expectations. The coconut cream added a very strange and foul flavor, as well as giving it a weird texture. I would personally change the recipe, and completely forgo the coconut cream, and add water instead. This would make the sorbet even lighter and fruitier. Next is the raspberry-banana sorbet, which tasted much better!
 The ingredients in the raspberry-banana sorbet were raspberries, bananas, and maple syrup. I added milk this time to help it blend better, in replace of water. "The tangy raspberries, banana and maple syrup give it a creamy slightly sweet taste." Says liddon. The combination of raspberries and bananas give it a tangy and creamy flavor, which is a great combination. Next time, i would replace the maple syrup with sugar, or just leave it out, because you can still taste it after it is all blended. This sorbet ended up tasting way better than the mango sorbet, and it something i would recommend to everyone. I also had a lot of left over sorbet, so the cookbook recommended to place the leftovers into a Popsicle mold, to enjoy later, so that's what i did with all the extra!

 Overall, this recipe was very helpful and easy to follow, even though the mango sorbet did not turn out very well. The raspberry sorbet however did turn out great, and i will definitely be making it again. These recipes gave me ideas for other sorbets that i could make, and was a good starting point! These sorbets are a great alternative to ice cream or other desserts, and can have just as much flavor and color, without adding anything unnatural. The end result looks beautiful, and bursts with colors! Have you ever made sorbet before, and what kind?

Liddon, Angela. Oh She Glows Every Day. Avery, 2016.  

Italian Fruit Sorbet

Italian Fruit Sorbet

(Sorbetti Alla Fruita)

For this post, I decided to attempt something that doesn't really depend on presentation. Sorbet from the picture provided seems easier. 

As you can see the consistency is not too much like ice cream

The history of fruit Sorbet from the book: "Sorbet, a cold dessert eaten with a spoon, is an ancestor of Gelato. Ancient Romans enjoyed Sorbet as a pleasing way to beat the summer heat. Apparently, the emperor Nero had ice brought in from the Apennines so that he could enjoy delicious, refreshing fruit sorbets. " ((Grazia, Mario, and Academia Barilla. Italian Desserts and Pastries. Vercelli: White Star, 2014. Print.)

Paraphrase: Sorbet is one of the signature desserts in history consumed by many and especially Italians. It is not to be confused with Gelato, or Granita (what I will be making next!).

Ingredients needed for the strawberry sorbet

Making the Sorbet: The book had two different recipes of Sorbet but I decided to go with strawberry Sorbet. Overall this dessert was pretty simple. First, boil 300 ml of water then place the strawberries in. I made sure to cut them up after I measured them so they could boil under the water. Then you were to whisk the 200 grams of sugar into the mixture. The book wanted the overall temperature to be around 150°F. Once that temperature was reached, it was time to remove the pot from heat and wait for it to cool a bit before adding the lemon juice. I just gave it around 30 minutes and then added the lemon juice.

The syrup made about a quart

Later, it was time to put the syrup away for 6 hours. Since I had school the next day it was more like 9 hours, but I don't think that really matters.









The next morning, I let it unfreeze for a bit before moving on. The recipe called for an ice cream maker, but I do not have one so I just used a blender. While this sounds weird, I just put the mixture into the Puree setting and added some ice. The syrup was very sticky though, and fun to clean up!
                                                                             

Haha the syrup sticking to the sides funnn

This was the final product: 
Review~ In the picture it kinda looks like a smoothie but was actually close to the ice cream texture. It was more of a sludge. Sorbet pictures usually look a lot more like ice cream but I figured this works because it resembles the book picture and I did what I could. While making this, the fresh strawberries smelled really good. The taste of this wasn't super great but was still Sorbet so I liked it. The lemon juice was not at all prominent and the drink overall just tasted like a standard sugary drink. I still learned a bit from this experience though.



Questions:
Do you own an ice cream maker? Have you ever made your own ice cream or Sorbet? What suggestions do you have for me?

Citation: Barilla, Academia. Italian Desserts and Pastries: Delicious Recipes for 100 Authentic Sweets. Vercelli: White Star, 2014. Print.