Sort-of-Sorbets

For those of you without an ice cream maker, (you poor unfortunate souls) all is not completely lost. You can still make Sort-of-Sorbet! This is what I was making for the months leading up to the day I finally re-bought my ice cream machine. Want to know how? In my not so humble opinion, there are two important things to remember when making sorbet without an ice cream maker:

*Simple syrup is your friend.

*Alcohol is also your friend.

With those two things in mind, I never follow a recipe when making sort-of-sorbet. I start by making a simple syrup, (combine equal part sugar and water, bring to a boil and stir so that all of the sugar dissolves, remove from heat and let cool) add whatever fruit I have laying around, whirr it together in the super blender until smooth and then add a splash of alcohol, (more often than not it’s rum, because that’s what I like, but vodka or whatever you like would also work). Then I pour the contents of the blender into a container, pop it in the freezer and wait a few hours for it to firm up. If you’re really ambitious you could stir it a few times as it freezes, but I never do. The splash of alcohol helps to keep it from freezing rock solid so that it’s still scoopable when you want it. For those of you who like math, (anyone?) it’s as easy as:

Simple Syrup + Fruit + Blender + Alcohol + Freezer = Awesome Sort-of-Sorbet

The two different kinds of Sort-of-Sorbet you see here are Mango-Lime and Pineapple-Strawberry. As you can see, neither of them are as smooth as would be achieved with an ice cream maker, but they’re still refreshing and cool on a hot summer day. So for those of you who will be very envious of my ice cream machine in the upcoming months, (and you will be envious, I’ve got some crazy good flavours brewing) remember you can always make Sort-of-Sorbet to soothe your pain before you cry yourselves to sleep at night.

Technorati Tags:

Sorbet + Fruit + Mango + Simple Syrup + Pineapple + Strawberry