Most people confuse sorbet and sherbet, when really they are quite different. A sherbet has similar components to a sorbet, the primary lack of similarity being that a sherbet contains milk and/or cream and sometimes egg, where as a sorbet does not. A proper sorbet recipe has absolutely no dairy, making it a great dessert option for the lactose-intolerant and vegans.
The similarities are that they both use fruit and simple syrup. (Simple syrup is easier than it sounds and is simply a mixture of sugar-water, which is great for many things from macaroons to Buttercream frosting to really good lemonade.)
Cranberry Sorbet v. Cranberry Sauce
A sorbet takes the cake over cranberry sauce any day; it uses the simplest of all ingredients to bring out the desired flavor of the cranberry, which is a perfect alternative to floppy, jiggly, canned cranberry sauce. This cranberry sorbets has an equal mix of sweet and sour, and brings a different consistency to the taste of a regular, old bag of cranberries, while giving a new spin to a normally mundane Thanksgiving side. This specific cranberry sorbet captures the exact essence of what a good cranberry tastes like, a tart moment of sweetness.
Cranberry Sorbet Recipe
Makes 1 quart
- 1 bag of Fresh cranberries
- 5 cups of water, 2 cups set to the side
- 2 1/2 cups of sugar, 1/2 cup set to the side
- 3/4 cups lime juice
- 3/4 cups orange juice
- 2 T cointreau or orange flavored liquor
- Boil the 2 cups of water and 1/2 cup of sugar with cranberries, stirring occasionally, until cranberries start to pop. (About 15 minutes.)
- Let cool.
- When cranberry mixture is cool, puree the mixture in a blender and sieve into a bowl, discarding discarding stem, solids and the left-over skin.
- Chill for two hours.
- While waiting for the cranberry puree to chill, put remaining 3 cups of water and 2 cups of sugar, on stove on medium to high heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved and the mixture is still murky. Let simple syrup cool for about 30 minutes.
- Stir puree, simple syrup and orange juice and lime juice together.
- Add 2 T of Contreau.
- Spin immediately or put in refrigerator until ready to spin.
- Store in container with a lid and a piece of plastic pressed down flat on top of sorbet to avoid freezer burn.
- The best way to make sure that the consistency of a sorbet is perfect is to put an egg into the sorbet gently. If it floats to the top, then either add more simple syrup or more puree to the mixture.
- Adding the Contreau or any sort of liquor will do nothing to the sorbet but give it perfect consistency and bring the flavors together.
- Spin the sorbet as long as it has to spin and don't worry about over-spinning. It's very unlikely to ever over-spin.
- When following any sort of recipe for sorbet or ice creams, measure to the exact recipe. Various aspects of sorbet and ice cream making are similar to chemistry.
- The ration between sugar to water in a simple syrup is 2:1. Any more or any less could result in caramel instead of simple syrup.
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Carol Hilker - Carol Hilker is a Freelance writer based in San Francisco, CA. Originally from Chicago, IL, Carol grew up studying theater, dance and ...
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