Today's high in St. Louis was 81F. Tomorrow's high is 97F. Is it any wonder that I have ice cream on the mind?
Recently I've shifted my obsession with ice cream to a preoccupation with sorbet. I decided I needed to switch from rich and heavy ice cream to something lighter, so sorbet it was. Sorbet is dairy-free, egg-free, and generally low in fat, and often contains fruit. Sure, it still contains a lot of sugar - but this is dessert. It's not supposed to be too healthy.
I love fruit, but many of my favorite sweets are chocolate. One of the first sorbets I decided to make was a Chocolate-Orange Sorbet (originally a Chocolate-Tangerine Sorbet, from The Perfect Scoop (affiliate link)), so I could eat something that was clearly dessert.
I used Trader Joe's 72% bar chocolate, and rather than use tangerines, I juiced Valencia oranges (although I considered bottled juice for convenience).
Chocolate and orange are a classic combination, which made this a very tasty sorbet. It was much lighter in texture than ice creams I've made, but it had as full a chocolate-citrus flavor as any ice cream might. The chocolate flavor was strong and delicious. So strong that I sometimes didn't notice the orange flavor in it. I might include some orange zest when I make the syrup next time, or perhaps a tiny bit of lemon juice or zest to citrus it up (or maybe it's just best made with tangerine juice as the recipe calls for). It's still a delicious sorbet even if you don't notice the citrus.
This is a very satisfying sorbet to make if you love chocolate and are avoiding dairy or eggs. I would definitely make this again.
jane says
This sounds delicious. Must it be put in an ice cream maker, or can it be put in any covered container? I think Orange is fine, but a little zest or using tangerines would give a stronger flavor. How long does it have to freeze? How much does it make? Sounds like maybe just a pint.
Leona says
It makes about a quart. I think you would need to churn it in an ice cream maker if you wanted it to be smooth; otherwise it would just be a block of ice. But, I think it would be a great granita; pour it into a 9x13 inch pan, freeze for an hour, scrape with a fork, freeze, scrape every 30 minutes until flaky. It would also make (a lot of) great popsicles.