Orange Sherbet (for Ninja Creami)
Most of the world doesn’t seem to know what American sherbet is.
When someone asks me what it is (including people who have eaten it but don’t know how to describe it), I tell them it’s like if sorbet was made with milk instead of water. Sherbet is light, mellow, fruity, and refreshing. Sherbet is lower in dairy, so it is therefore lower in fat, too. It’s still somewhat creamy but not nearly as creamy as ice cream or gelato. This particular recipe has been adapted from Kimberly Kunaniec’s orange sherbet on The Spruce Eats.
Sherbet is a nostalgic treat that tends to be pretty predictable in flavor. The orange one is orange-flavored. The green one is lime. The reddish-pink one is raspberry. Most people who have eaten sherbet before can count the number of flavors they’ve tried on one hand. In my opinion, orange sherbet is the second most iconic sherbet flavor—bested, of course, only by rainbow sherbet (which has orange in it).
Since it’s now fall, it may seem like a strange time to make orange sherbet. Sherbet is a summery treat, and oranges are in season in winter. It doesn’t have anything to do with autumn.
But I decided to make an orange dessert right now in honor of my friend who recently passed away. His name is Lorem. His favorite colors were orange and teal. He also loved orange the fruit. He was a foodie, too, just like me. We talked about food a lot, and that’s how I learned that he loved oranges, dark chocolate with orange, and salted dark chocolate. He also loved foraging for lavender and made homemade lavender simple syrup. I decided to combine all of these flavors into one dessert that I think he would have liked.
This orange sherbet recipe is the base of the dessert that’s inspired by my friend Lorem. In the coming weeks, I’ll post the recipes for the mix-ins—salted dark chocolate fudge and blue lavender gummies.
I know it’s a chaotic creation, but really, think about it—chocolate, lavender, and orange. It’s an unusual flavor combination that just works. Chocolate goes with lavender and orange, so I figured it would be like a “bridge” to connect those two flavors, but it actually wasn’t necessary. Orange and lavender connect splendidly. I’m excited to share the recipes for the chocolate and lavender mix-ins in the coming weeks.
In the meantime, please enjoy this nostalgic recipe for orange sherbet. This one’s for Lorem!
Orange Sherbet Recipe for Ninja Creami
Ingredients
Zest of 1 orange
1 cup (237 g) orange juice (freshly squeezed; I used 3 ½ oranges)
½ cup (106 g) sugar
¼ cup (59 g) heavy cream, cold
¼ cup (61 g) milk, cold
Directions
On medium-high speed, blend together orange zest, orange juice, and sugar until the sugar has dissolved.
On low speed, stream in the cold cream and milk for a few seconds until combined with no remaining streaks.
Pour into an empty Ninja Creami pint and freeze on a level surface.
Freeze overnight and churn on the regular Ice Cream setting. Enjoy!
Q and A
Q: What is sherbet?
A: Sherbet is a frozen dairy dessert made primarily from fruit, sugar, and a little bit of dairy. It is much lower in fat than ice cream.
Q: What’s the difference between sherbet, sorbet, and ice cream?
A: Sorbet contains no dairy and usually no fat. Sherbet contains dairy, including a very small amount of fat. Ice cream contains lots of dairy and much more fat.
Q: What’s the difference between American sherbet, British sherbet, and Persian sharbat?
A: American sherbet is a frozen dessert containing dairy, British sherbet is a fizzy powdered candy, and Persian sharbat is a cold, herbal drink which usually does not contain dairy. All three of these foods are sweet.
Q: Why does the dairy need to be cold for this recipe?
A: Heat causes acidic ingredients to make dairy curdle. Since this recipe mixes orange juice with dairy, keeping all of your ingredients cold inhibits that process. This might not be a concern for orange juice as much as it would be for lemon juice… It’s just in case!
Q: Can I make this recipe in a regular ice cream machine?
A: Yes! Double the recipe and follow steps 1 and 2 as normal. Refrigerate the mixture until it is cold, then churn until it is the consistency of soft serve. Pack it up quickly and freeze it for a few hours before scooping.
Q: Are you misspelling sherbet?
A: No! Even though many people (including me) pronounce it as “sherbert,” it’s actually spelled S-H-E-R-B-E-T. There’s only one “R.”
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