Homemade Sorbet

Whilst still an ice based dessert, sorbet has a smooth and creamy texture, despite usually being dairy free. It’s a dish with a light and refreshing mouthfeel. It is typically served at a slightly higher temperature than ice cream, allowing it to melt quickly on the tongue. This quick melting contributes to the sensation of lightness, freshness and giving it its famous ability to cleanse the palate.

As mentioned in the blog post, it came into its own in France, under King Louis XIV who went so far as to appoint a royal sorbet maker! Francesco Procopio dei Coltelli was a Sicilian (of course!) and was integral to the development and growth in its popularity after he opened Café Procope, where he served various flavours to the French elite. The French continued to refine new techniques to achieve ever smoother variations by such methods as adding fruit purees and sugar syrups. Flavour ranges also grew with variations such as lavender, rose, violet, and champagne, which became popular among the French nobility.

Sorbet became an integral part of French gastronomy, particularly in between courses as a palate cleanser. It was, and still is, served to refresh the taste buds and prepare the palate for the next course during elaborate meals. It has always been considered a sign of refinement and elegance in French cuisine and can be looked at as granitas stuck up, fancy cousin.

Sorbet has a smoother and softer texture when compared to granita. It has a consistency similar to ice cream or gelato, with a velvety mouthfeel. Unlike granita, where the whole point is to create those distinctive ice crystals, sorbet is typically made by churning the mixture, either by hand or by ice cream machine, a process that both incorporates air and helps stop the formation of ice crystals to leave a smooth, luxurious texture.

Homemade Raspberry Sorbet

Homemade Quick Mango Sorbet

Homemade Lemon Sorbet

Homemade Blackberry Sorbet

Homemade Pear & Chocolate Sorbet