Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Blood Orange Honey Sorbet


In case you're encountering a surfeit of rich chocolate confections (this could apply to pretty much anyone in Tuesdays with Dorie or Sweet Melissa Sundays!), a fresh citrus sorbet is the perfect antidote. Blood oranges are plentiful in the stores right now, and this sorbet couldn't be easier to make! I served this on Easter, along with Dorie's French Yogurt Cake, and I'll cut right to the verdict and tell you that it was the perfect refreshing end to a festive springtime meal.

n.o.e.'s notes:

- I used this recipe from David Lebovitz.

- It took 5 blood oranges to get 2 cups of juice. I included some of the more tender pulp; discarded the tough fibrous pulp and the seeds. I have a little electric juicer that my brother-in-law gave me for Christmas 20+ years ago (click for a similar model). It's perfect for this task.

- I took David's suggestion, and used honey rather than white sugar. I heated 3 fluid ounces of honey slightly to thin it, then slowly stirred in the 2 cups of juice until combined.

- Then I stirred in 4 T white wine (Reisling), and chilled the mixture for a few hours before pouring it into the ice cream churn.

the verdict:

Although I don't normally like orange-flavored frozen desserts (orange is my least favorite sherbet flavor, for example) this blood orange sorbet was different. It was fresh tasting with an intense tart + sweet flavor. We loved it with the Yogurt Cake. It's also great on its own. My husband couldn't get enough, saying, "this is the best sorbet I've ever eaten."

When we lost electricity on Monday, my first thought was, "Oh, no, the sorbet will melt!" Luckily, when the power returned after 6 hours everything in the freezer - especially the sorbet - was still perfectly frozen. There's still a scoop of sorbet left, but it won't last long!

13 comments:

Jessica said...

That sorbet looks and sounds absolutely delicious and I bet that it paired perfectly with the yogurt cake.

Cathy said...

I love chocolate as much as anyone, but I am definitely ready to call "uncle." I'm so glad to see this post - I just bought The Perfect Scoop a few weeks ago and was having a hard time deciding where to begin. I think I'll begin with the Blood Orange Honey Sorbet! And I came SO close to making the French Yogurt Cake again for Easter, but I ran out of time. I think I might straight-up copy your entire Easter dessert this weekend!

Reeni said...

It sounds wonderful with Yogurt cake! It's such a gorgeous color, it looks so refreshing and yummy!

Eliana said...

I'll have to try this recipe as it is a little easier than the one I made a few weeks ago. Although I have to say - I did kinda like the pulp in the one I made. But this is definitely something that can be whipped up in a flash. Thanks for posting.

CM said...

I'm so happy whenever I read about ice creams and sorbets from David Lebovitz!! Glad to see another recipe of his I can't wait to try! It looks so refreshing!

Audrey said...

oooh, if this tastes half...a quarter...an eighth as good as it looks! Blood oranges are one of those things (like Meyer lemons and white asparagus) that I haven't gotten around to tasting yet! Sounds like a lovely dessert, especially in combination.

Anonymous said...

Yum! It looks delicious. I bet it was yummy with the cake.

I'm on chocolate overload too!

pam said...

This is definitely on my list!

margot said...

That looks wonderful; it sounds like it would be a splendid combination with the french yogurt cake. I actually received some blood oranges in my CSA box this week, so I'll have to try it.

margot said...

I made this today, and it's fantastic. I used half blood oranges and half regular, since that's what I had. If I want dessert during the week, I try to limit myself to things like sorbet.

Elyse said...

It's supposed to be almost 90 degrees here in Berkeley/San Francisco today. What is this, Atlanta? Haha, I think I brought the heat with me to the moderate Bay Area because these are record breaking temperatures for sure. Anyway, I wish I had some of your fabulous-looking sorbet to cool me down! Looks delicious!

Di said...

Mmm, I wish I had some of your sorbet right now. I made some blood orange sorbet from a Fine Cooking recipe a while back, and it was delicious. I'm going to have to remember the idea of adding Reisling next time--that sounds like the perfect addition to a fruity sorbet. Yum!

Unknown said...

Ooooh yum that sounds so good! I love orange desserts. That said, I've never had a blood orange! I really need to seek them out in the grocery store soon.