Orange Sherbet

My sister Angela loves sherbet.  It seems that whenever we go to an ice cream parlor that serves sherbet, that's what she orders.  Ari is following in her footsteps.  He always wants a fruity ice cream or sherbet if it's available.  As for me, I'm not a big fan.  Most sherbets I have tried are too sweet and the flavors are too strong and artificial to me.  Plus, there is just something strange about eating neon colored food.

My negative opinions of the orange stuff changed dramatically after making my own.  Why did I even make something that I do not enjoy eating?  Well, I did it for my sister, of course!  I also wanted to see how much better homemade sherbet would be compared to the mass-market variety.  I also had a bag full of oranges sitting on the counter just begging to be made into sherbet. 

I honestly can't remember why we had a bag of oranges since we hardly ever buy big bags of fruit.  Ari is a self-proclaimed orange lover, but he is extremely picky about the amount of pith on the orange segments.  It makes peeling an orange to his satisfaction nearly impossible.  Because of that, I decided to forgo the frustration associated with pith pickiness and just juice the oranges for sherbet.

I had all the ingredients on hand and the sherbet was very easy to make.  Eliminating the orange zest was the only modification I made to the recipe.  The oranges were no longer at their peak of freshness and some of the orange peels looked a bit suspect, so I was leery of using the zest.  But, the juice was still very tasty and I had sherbet in no time. 

The orange sherbet I made is unlike any I have ever had.  The flavors are fresh and not overpowering.  There is a genuine orange taste that is so refreshing.  The sherbet is smooth, light, and delicious; and I would be happy to make it again.   The application is so simple, too, I am thinking about trying it with other fruits.  Perhaps pineapple would make a tasty sherbet.  The possibilities are endless!

Orange Sherbet
Recipe courtesy Alton Brown
Printable Recipe

Ingredients
7 ounces sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons finely grated orange zest
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups freshly squeezed orange juice, approximately 2 to 3 pounds oranges
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups very cold whole milk

Directions
In the bowl of a food processor combine all of the ingredients except the milk and process until the sugar is dissolved, approximately 1 minute. Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl and whisk in the milk. Cover the bowl and place in the refrigerator until the mixture reaches 40 degrees F or below, approximately 1 hour.

Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and process until it is the consistency of soft serve ice cream. You may serve now or transfer to a lidded container and place in freezer until firm, approximately 3 hours. Makes about 1 quart.