Delicious Berry Sorbet
Sorbet is an easy, delicious dessert. It is fully customizable and can be as sweet or healthy as you like. It only takes a few ingredients to make. My son and I love it and we hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
There is a science to making the perfect sorbet, with the right consistency, but it actually requires quite a bit of sugar. If you use too little, you end up with something similar to Italian Ice. Even though there is a science behind it, I prefer to use less sugar than in the ones sold at stores. I think the consistency of mine is nice and smooth, and juicy. If you decide to freeze it and use a bit less sugar, it may be a tiny bit more difficult to scoop it out a day later. But, if you let it defrost slightly, it will be just fine!
If you want to know about the science behind making a perfect sorbet, I recommend this video by Thomas Joseph.
If you have any questions, please ask!
Basic Ingredients to Make Sorbet
Ingredients (Makes 3-4 servings)
- 2 bags of frozen fruit (10 oz. each) - I used one bag of cherries & one bag of strawberries
- 1/2 cup of water
- food processor or blender
- ice cream maker - optional
- if you have an ice cream maker, take the inside part out and place it in your freezer, 24 hours in advance
- if you don't have an ice cream maker, you can still have sorbet - but must enjoy it immediately
- container to store sorbet in
- simple syrup
- To make it: Add 1/2 cup of water plus 1/2 cup of sugar into small saucepan & bring to a boil, then remove from heat. Let it cool or refrigerate it before using it in this recipe.
- The amount you use varies, as it is added at 1/8 cup increments, till desired sweetness. I used only 1/4 cup.
Making the Sorbet
The first thing to do is to make your simple syrup, according to the instructions in the last step. Be sure to refrigerate it after making it.
Now, if you don't have an ice cream maker, that is ok. But, you must blend your fruit while it is still frozen. I had a little bit of a hard time doing that with my food processor. But, if you don't have an ice cream maker, you can make it work. If you have any issues with it blending, just let it defrost slightly before proceeding & follow the instructions below.
If you have an ice cream maker, you can use the fruit as it is frozen or defrosted. I have made it both ways. This time around, I placed my two bags of frozen fruit in my refrigerator to let them defrost a bit.
Place your fruit into your food processor or blender and add 1/2 cup of water. Blend away until everything is extremely smooth. I used one bag of sweet cherries and one bag of strawberries. I thought they would balance each other out nicely because the cherries are extremely sweet and the strawberries are not. You can also optionally add a squeeze of lemon juice if you have it.
Sweeten & Serve
Now that it's blended, you will now sweeten it with your simple syrup. I recommend adding 1/8 of a cup at a time, until you have the desired sweetness. Taste and add more if necessary. Personally, I added 1/4 cup of simple syrup and was happy with the sweetness. It was just sweet enough. Feel free to add more if you want it sweeter. After adding more simple syrup, I pulsed the food processor to blend it more. If you don't have an ice cream maker, serve the sorbet immediately, and enjoy!
If you do have an ice cream maker, take the freezer bowl out of the freezer and place it in the machine. Then, pour your mixture into the machine and turn it on. Let it churn and mix for about twenty minutes, or until it thickens enough. You can then serve it immediately afterwards, or store it in your freezer for a couple hours before serving it. You can also just leave it in the freezer and eat it a later date, hopefully within a week. If you freeze it for more than 24 hours, and you didn't add copious amounts of sugar, it might be a bit harder to scoop it out. Just let it defrost a tiny bit on the counter, maybe ten or fifteen minutes, and it should come out easier. I hope this helps!
I hope you enjoy making sorbet! My son and I love it because we aren't able to have dairy desserts. This is a great alternative and not very unhealthy! I hope you love the sorbet!