Saturday, August 17, 2013

New Equipment!

Thanks to my ice-cream-loving Grandpa, I have inherited a new ice cream maker.  It's a beauty: an Il Gelataio, self-refrigerated, with a removable bowl that can go in the dishwasher!  Totally revolutionary.

I decided to test it out with a sorbet.  I started with the Cook's Illustrated recipe, but since I couldn't find Sure Jell low sugar pectin anywhere in my neighborhood (Why does New York City have the worst grocery stores on earth?), I tried using some xanthan gum instead.  Without this, it tends to freeze rock hard and melt too quickly.  I tried 1/8 tsp, then 1/4 tsp, and am currently thinking it needs a full 1/2 tsp to work well.  A tsp of alcohol provides a similar result, but that flavor isn't right for all sorbets.

The other tricky thing is that you need to not churn it too much.  Unlike ice cream, more overrun is not good here.  It just makes the sorbet hard and crumbly.  I don't think I have this right yet.  The last time I only churned it for 10 minutes and it still seemed to go past the ideal stage, which is like a barely pourable smoothie.

Raspberry Sorbet Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 lbs raspberries, fresh or frozen
  • 1 cup water
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsps sugar
  • 1/4 cup corn syrup
  • 1/2 tsp xanthan gum

Instructions

  1. Mix all ingredients in blender.
  2. Strain to remove seeds.
  3. Freeze in an ice cream maker.

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