For a long time, for me, sorbets conjured up images of formal, multi-course dinners served by uniformed staff. Tiny, fine china bowls of frozen citrusy goodness presented between courses as a palate cleanser, and then efficiently whisked away by footmen. Or was it the butler?
No matter. The point is, sorbets have come a long ways from being an intermission palate cleanser. They’re the perfect celebration of fresh fruit flavor at its zenith, and couldn’t be easier to make – as long as you have a freezer. For best results, I recommend you use fruit that’s in season and of top quality. This is not the time to use that basket of limp, forgotten strawberries tucked in the back of the vegetable drawer. And in the case of chocolate, this is the time to splurge, as you WILL taste the difference.
At its simplest, sorbets are essentially sugar + water + flavor (juice or fruit purée). For this sorbet, I started with a confidant, sultry, dark chocolate as my core flavor. I then added strained apricot purée to bring out its fruity tones, and finished with some warming cinnamon and cardamom spices. The result reminds me of a frozen Mexican hot chocolate that erupts rich chocolatiness. If you like chocolate, this might be the best sorbet you’ve ever had.
And I want to add a huge thank you to FaveDiets for featuring my Cauliflower Steaks with Kale Pesto recipe on their site today!! Thanks soooo much, Matthew!!!
Spiced Chocolate Sorbet
Cook’s Notes:
- Makes a little more than 1 pint.
- The addition of the apricot jam slows down the firming up of the sorbet, necessitating an overnight stay in the freezer, as indicated in the directions below.
- Before serving, you can slow the sorbet melting in the bowl by freezing the bowl for 30 minutes.
- For any sorbet that is too hard when it’s removed from the freezer, place it in the refrigerator for 20 minutes to slightly soften it.
Ingredients…
- 4 cups water
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup strained apricot preserves
- 1 1/2 tablespoon ground cardamom powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Making It…
- Combine the water and sugars in a medium pot over medium-low heat and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved.
- Remove from the heat and add the chocolates all at once and stir until completely melted and absorbed into the sugar-water. This can take 5 – 10 minutes. Check by dipping a spoon into the liquid and removing it. You should not see any individual granules of chocolate – or at least not very many. Don’t be tempted to reheat unless the liquid is complete cold, as chocolate doesn’t need very much heat to melt. Too much heat can ruin the chocolate.
- Warm the apricot preserves and strain. Add the strained apricot purée and spices to the chocolate.
- Cool to room temp and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. Process in an ice cream maker following the directions of your ice cream maker, and put in a container and place in the freezer overnight. It should be perfectly set up by morning.
Oh, this is too tempting – love the touch of apricot here!
I love chocolate sorbet, really enjoyed the post, the apricot addition is fantastic.
Thanks so much Suzanne! The apricot really brings out such a nice fruit flavor in the chocolate.
I adore spiced chocolate. The apricot is clever.
Spiced chocolate is just the best!
Your photo is so tempting…Chocolate Sorbet has been on my kitchen list of things to do; love your combination of flavors!
Thanks so much Linda! I hope you have a chance to make it – it’s just so decadent without the heaviness of the cream.
This sounds so good, my teeth are aching!
Thanks so much Mare!!! So maybe this could be a hot cocoa after all
Looks great! It’s a chilly night here, so to be honest, I’m more interested in the Mexican hot chocolate portion of this recipe, but I bet it makes a great sorbet!
Thanks Julia!! Either way makes for a great afternoon snack
The hot chocolate, for this time of year. Also thought you might like to explore this site for the “Year of Yogurt”. Keeo up the great posts.
Thanks so much for the link Nancy! I really appreciate it. I recently finalized a mascarpone cheese, which I just posted today, and am moving towards yogurt
http://www.culturesforhealth.com/expert-advice
I just checked out this site-thanks so much for sending to me! It’s got a lot of great information in it.
Oh my, this looks divine. I can’t wait to try it!
Thanks Hannah! Hope you have a chance to make it
Hmmmm – I think I will have to make this soon! My ice cream maker has been dormant for a little too long.
When I first got mine, I made a new ice cream or sorbet almost every week taking advantage of seasonal fruits. But now I go through spurts, so I totally understand. This chocolate one, though, is worth pulling it out for IMHO