Fresh Orange Sherbet

We talk a lot about how different types of foods bring back wonderful, warm memories. Whether it’s cookies our mom always made for the holidays or a simple, yet rich recipe from our grandma, the smells and tastes are like a big hug. Comforting, reassuring and familiar. We had never experienced a food bringing up a relatively “bad” memory until a month or two ago. While why Chief Culinary Consultant’s parents were in town, they picked up a tub of orange sherbet for the freezer. One night we had put a couple of scoops in a bowl and took a taste. The cold, creamy, orange flavor on our tongue immediately stopped us in our tracks. We were instantly transported back 13 years, to Boston, to a sterile hospital room where our dad was fighting off a nasty reaction to a bone marrow transplant. It was hard for him to eat most foods, but he could put down sherbet easily. The nurses’ kitchen kept a supply of orange and raspberry sherbet, and we’d help him eat it from the cup. It’s not a pleasant memory; he never did walk out of that hospital, and we didn’t realize until last month that we'd never had sherbet since. Maybe we subconsciously stayed away from it, or maybe we just never thought to buy it since it wasn’t something we ever ate anyway. One thing is certain – that first bite hit us like a ton of bricks.

We're sure you’re wondering why we would then go ahead and make something that obviously had such negative connotations for us. Well, a couple of reasons. First, Our Chief Culinary Consultant loves orange sherbet, and that big tub of neon orange store-bought sherbet made us cringe every time we opened the freezer. There’s just nothing better than fresh and from-scratch. It had to be done. Secondly, for us, making food and sharing food is about sharing love and showing someone you care. That’s exactly what we were doing in that hospital room. We may not have made that sherbet, but we were using it as a means to try to nurse our dad back to health. In a way, even though it was a bad memory, we're glad it came to us. It comforted us that after this long, specific memories of him could still be easily triggered. Our dad would never want us to write something off because of him, and he would definitely encourage us to make a standby version possible, and share it with people who love it and appreciate it.

It took us a surprisingly long time to find an awesome sherbet recipe. Some didn’t include any milk or cream, which is more like a sorbet. Some recipes called for gelatin and egg whites, which we found to be slightly strange (although we didn’t try them, so we can’t vouch for them). We finally settled on this one and it’s wonderful. We sped up our inevitable carpal tunnel syndrome by juicing all of the oranges by hand, but it was, hands-down, worth every twist of the wrist. The bright flavor of the fresh orange juice comes through in every bite, and the inclusion of softly whipped cream gives it just the right amount of creaminess.

As we enjoy the cool, creamy spoonfuls, we think of our dad and smile. He would have loved this (he was a sucker for any type of ice cream or frozen treat!), and we think he loves that we made it.

One year ago: Pepperoni Pizza
Two years ago: Chewy, Chunky Blondies
Three years ago: How to Make Pastry Cream
Four years ago: Zebra Cake

Fresh Orange Sherbet

Yield: 1 quart A refreshing and straightforward to mix fruit sherbet

• 1 tablespoon orange zest
• 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
• Pinch salt
• 2 cups (496 ml) fresh-squeezed orange juice
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons Triple Sec
• ⅔ cup (158.67 ml) heavy cream

• Process the zest, sugar and salt in a food processor until damp, ten to fifteen 1-second pulses. With the machine running, add the orange juice and lemon juice in a slow, steady stream; continue to process until the sugar is fully dissolved, about 1 minute. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a medium bowl. Stir in the Triple Sec, then cover with plastic wrap and chill in the freezer until the mixture reaches 40 degrees F, about 30 to 60 minutes. Do not let the mixture freeze.
• When the mixture is cold, whip the cream in a large bowl until soft peaks form. Continue to whip constantly and add the juice mixture in a slow, steady stream, pouring against the edge of the bowl.
• Immediately start the ice cream machine and add the orange mixture to the canister; churn according to the manufacturer directions. When done, the sherbet should have the consistency of soft-serve ice cream. Transfer the sherbet to a freezer-safe container and freeze until firm, about 3 hours.

Notes

Nutritional values are based on the whole recipe

• Yield: 1 quart
• Prep: 10 minutes
• Total: 5 hours 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon orange zest
• 1 cup ( 200 g ) granulated sugar
• Pinch salt
• 2 cups ( 496 ml ) fresh-squeezed orange juice
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons Triple Sec
• ⅔ cup ( 158.67 ml ) heavy cream

Method

1. Process the zest, sugar and salt in a food processor until damp, ten to fifteen 1-second pulses. With the machine running, add the orange juice and lemon juice in a slow, steady stream; continue to process until the sugar is fully dissolved, about 1 minute. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a medium bowl. Stir in the Triple Sec, then cover with plastic wrap and chill in the freezer until the mixture reaches 40 degrees F, about 30 to 60 minutes. Do not let the mixture freeze.
2. When the mixture is cold, whip the cream in a large bowl until soft peaks form. Continue to whip constantly and add the juice mixture in a slow, steady stream, pouring against the edge of the bowl.
3. Immediately start the ice cream machine and add the orange mixture to the canister; churn according to the manufacturer directions. When done, the sherbet should have the consistency of soft-serve ice cream. Transfer the sherbet to a freezer-safe container and freeze until firm, about 3 hours.