Clementine Sorbet

It seems quite miraculous to me that at the coldest, darkest point of the winter, the supermarkets magically fill with gem-like clementines, ruby-fleshed blood oranges, tangy, pink Cara oranges and more-sweet-than-tart Meyer lemons. Most citrus fruits ripen to their sweetest and juiciest during the North American winter and happily we can enjoy a taste of sunshine at a relatively low price from locales as far flung as Spain and Morocco as well as Florida and California just when we need it most.

Clementine Sorbet

After over-enthusiastically stocking up on boxes of clementines, this recipe for tangerine sorbet by talented cookbook author and food blogger David Lebovitz, adapted from his recipe published in The Perfect Scoop, popped into my inbox. Clementines and tangerines are both varieties of a mandarin orange. Clementines are slightly sweeter than tangerines and produce a luscious sorbet that has a concentrated, honeyed orange flavor, balanced by a subtle tartness. One clementine packs more than half a day’s recommended dose of vitamin C, boosting immunity and making this dessert a virtuous winter indulgence.

Assemble your ingredients. This recipe calls for three cups of clementine juice. It takes about fourteen clementines to produce this amount of juice. I used two tablespoons of corn syrup when making the sorbet mix. This small amount of corn syrup greatly improves the texture of the finished sorbet. Corn syrup is quite viscous and  adds a rich, full-bodied texture to the sorbet base. The thicker a sorbet base, the creamier it’ll be. In addition, corn syrup behaves similar to invert sugar, and invert sugar makes sorbets smoother and less icy. The other secret ingredient in this recipe is a couple of tablespoons of liqueur or vodka. Sorbet recipes often call for alcohol to improve their texture. Alcohol reduces a sorbet base’s freezing point, thus making the sorbet softer and easier to scoop.

Using a microplane, grate the zest of two clementines and set it aside. Juice the clementines. Heat 1/2 cup of the clementine juice with the sugar over low heat, stirring just until the sugar is dissolved. Scrape the mixture into the remaining clementine juice. Add the clementine zest, corn syrup, vodka or orange liqueur and chill thoroughly, preferably overnight.

Churn the sorbet mix in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturers directions. If you don’t have an ice cream maker, you can use this method suggested by recipe author David Lebovitz to freeze the sorbet. Remove the sorbet from the ice cream maker after it is thick and fluffy (20 minutes in my machine). Scrape it into a freezer container, smooth the top of the sorbet with a spoon and lay a piece of plastic wrap over the surface. Cover with the lid and freeze for several hours until scoopable.

Print Recipe

Clementine Sorbet

Cookies, Cakes, Pies and Desserts

By David Lebovitz – Serves: 8

Prep Time: 5 minutes + 20 minutes churning – Cooking Time: 3 minutes – Total Time: 28 minutes

Luscious sorbet that has a concentrated, honeyed orange flavor, balanced by a subtle tartness.

Ingredients

• 3 cups (725ml) freshly squeezed clementine juice (from about 14 clementines)
• Finely grated zest of 2 clementines
• 10 tablespoons (130g) sugar
• 2 tablespoons corn syrup
• 2 tablespoons vodka or orange liqueur

Instructions

1

Assemble your ingredients. Zest 2 clementines using a microplane grater. Set the zest aside. Juice the clementines. Heat 1/2 cup of the clementine juice with the sugar over low-medium heat, stirring just until the sugar is dissolved. Add the mixture into the remaining clementine juice. Add the clementine zest, corn syrup, vodka or orange liqueur and chill thoroughly, preferably overnight.

2

Churn the sorbet mix in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's directions. If you don’t have an ice cream maker, you can use this method suggested by recipe author David Lebovitz to freeze the sorbet https://www.davidlebovitz.com/making-ice-crea-1/. Remove the sorbet from the ice cream maker after it is thick and fluffy (20 minutes in my machine). Scrape it into a freezer container, smooth the top of the sorbet with a spoon and lay a piece of plastic wrap over the surface. Cover with the lid and freeze for several hours until scoopable.

Notes

If you have a mishap when making the sorbet, you can allow the sorbet to melt and refreeze it in your ice cream maker. If the sorbet is too soft for your taste, reduce the amount of alcohol. If you would prefer not to use any alcohol, leave it out, but do make sure to include the suggested amount of corn syrup or the sorbet will be very hard and difficult to scoop. The sorbet scoops most easily using a spring-loaded ice cream scoop.