At times like this, I really miss the old ice cream machine that can churn any custard or sorbet base into creamy or fruity treats. However, with some patience and a little sorbet basics knowledge, it's not too hard to come up with a no churn sorbet recipe.
Sorbet is, in its basic form, frozen sweetened fruit juice or puree helped by a stabilizer (like glucose, corn syrup or egg whites) and by the movement of the said juice/puree during the freezing process. The reason your ice cubes get solid frozen but your sorbet does not is due to these elements. The sugar lowers the freezing point of sorbet preventing the mixture from becoming completely solid. The stabilizer decreases the size of ice crystals, creating a smoother texture. Finally, stirring your sorbet mix at certain points during the freezing process, breaks down the ice crystals even more. The type of juice you make your sorbet out of can also play a part in the final texture of the product. Fruit juice is widely used especially for making orange or lemon sorbets and definitely require a stabilizer, while a nice puree of strawberries or raspberries can result in a smooth, richer product even without stabilizers. The idea then is to make a sorbet "base" with a balance of these elements.
This is my loose recipe for Summer Strawberry Sorbet that requires no ice cream machine:
2 cups strawberry puree - To make puree take your fresh fruit and place straight into your food processor, puree until smooth.
1/4 cup basic sugar syrup - To make, take 1 cup sugar to 1 cup water and boil it for about 10 minutes. Cool the syrup down completely before use. Use only the recipe amount and set the rest aside for future use. (YOU CAN ADJUST SUGAR SYRUP AMOUNT TO YOUR DESIRED SWEETNESS BUT DO NOT EXCEED 1/2 CUP MAX. TOO MUCH SUGAR PREVENTS SORBET FROM FREEZING)
1 Tablespoon glucose or light corn syrup
Mix all ingredients together and place in a freezable container. Put container in freezer. After 20 minutes remove from freezer and stir with a spoon. Return to freezer. After another 15 minutes, stir again, and do so one more time after another 10 minutes. Leave in freezer another 30 minutes and the sorbet should be ready.
The resutling sorbet is smooth and rich. On day two, I had to refresh it because it turned a little more solid. To refresh, I simply scraped desired amount and gave it a stir until it's became smooth again. Then scoop to serve.
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