Lemon Sorbet Recipe - Just 3 ingredients, and so refreshing! (2024)

FAQs

What makes the smooth and creamy texture in sorbet? ›

Ice cream machines work by churning / aerating mixtures whilst freezing them. As the mixture freezes, the churning action breaks down large ice crystals, producing that creamy smooth texture we know and love. At the same time, air is trapped in the network of crystals, which increases volume.

1 to 2 tablespoons liqueur (this is for flavor, but it also prevents the sorbet from freezing solid. Alcohol won't freeze, so it is great insurance that you will have a soft sorbet. BUT, if you add too much sorbet won't freeze at all and you will basically have a margarita or daiquiri!)

Too much sugar will not only make for a sickeningly sweet dessert, it also reduces the freezing point so that firstly, your sorbet will take ages to freeze, and secondly, it will crystallize as it freezes. Too little sugar and you end up with loads of crunchy ice crystals.

Sucrose is fairly sweet and doesn't add much body to a syrup. That's why pastry chefs look to liquid sugar like invert sugar, glucose, or dextrose, which all make sorbet creamier when used properly. The easiest alternative sugar—the one you can find in any American supermarket—is plain 'ol non-high-fructose corn syrup.

Alcohol doesn't freeze, so it helps prevent sorbet from freezing solid. A little bit goes a long way. 1 to 3 Tablespoons per quart of sorbet is a good rule of thumb. If too much alcohol is added the sorbet will stay mushy.

If your sorbet is rock-hard after churning and freezing: Allow it to sit on the counter for 5 minutes to soften before scooping OR. Melt the base back down to liquid, add more sugar, or a bit of corn syrup, or a splash of alcohol, then re-churn and refreeze.

The optional egg white helps to stabilize, emulsify, and preserve the texture of the sorbet if you are going to keep it in your freezer for a few days.

Making Perfectly Smooth Sorbet

Too little sugar and the sorbet becomes icy, too much and it can be slushy — hit the sugar level just right and the sorbet will taste creamy and melt evenly across your tongue. There's a very simple way to tell if your sugar levels are right: Float a large egg in the sorbet base.

Not only is sorbet a healthier alternative to ice cream, but it is also a dessert that can be enjoyed guilt-free. With no eggs or cream present in the recipe, sorbet contains fewer calories and less fat compared to traditional ice cream.

How to thicken homemade sorbet? ›

Corn syrup also stops sugar crystals from forming, thereby keeping your sorbet's consistency thick. It's long been used to provide a cohesive texture in hard candy and jelly, and it's more viscous than granulated sugar — meaning it can add thickness and creaminess to whatever food it's in.

It gives the sorbet even more lemon flavor and just a touch of bitterness which nicely balances the sweet and sour. There is so much flavor in lemon peel it would be a waste not to take advantage of it.

These icy treats are perfectly refreshing on a hot day or as an after-dinner dessert. Learn how to make sorbet with our indulgent recipes including lemon, raspberry and pineapple. Sorbet is a great vegan ice cream alternative as it usually doesn't contain dairy.

Stabilizers. Ice-cream and sorbet stabilizers are complex mixtures of thickeners, emulsifiers, gelling agents and aerators that give us perfect ice cream or sorbet textures with great ease of application.

If you can find them, alternative sugars like glucose (which also comes powdered) and of course Trimoline (inverted cane sugar syrup) taste better, though both are sweeter than corn syrup. It can dilute flavors. Since corn syrup is a liquid, it adds volume to a sorbet while diluting its flavor.

Sorbet is flavored syrup with a slushy texture; it is sometimes called a water ice, and contains no dairy ingredients. Sherbet describes a similar product, but contains milk. One definition, by the International Dairy Foods Association, states that sherbet should contain 1–2 percent of milk fat in the final product.

Which factors influence creaminess? There are three important factors that help to achieve a creamy texture, even if we work with very little fat: the type of fat used,emulsification technique and viscosity.

Churn the sorbet.

Pour the chilled base into the ice cream machine and churn. Continue churning until the sorbet is the consistency of a thick smoothie.