The world of frozen desserts has gotten less straightforward recently.
There’s ice cream, of course, and there’s always been sherbet. But now, we find ourselves in a frozen jungle of sorbets, sorbettos, gelatos, granitas, and palettas — though not, tragically, the greatly missed Choco Tacos. **Bumps chest twice, and raises fist to the sky**.
What does it all mean? Here’s a short, mostly accurate breakdown:
Gelato – This Italian-style ice cream is made mostly from milk, with very little cream.
Sherbet – (Please note that there is no second “r.” I know! It came as a shock to me, too.) This is made usually using fruit flavors, and a very small amount of milk.
Sorbet – This refers to any churned frozen dessert product that doesn’t contain any dairy at all. It might seem super creamy from ingredients like coconut milk, but it never has any milk-milk in it.
That’s what we’re making today:
- ¾ cup (180 g) unsweetened almond butter
- ¾ cup + 2 Tablespoons (180 g) granulated sugar
- 2¾ cups (660 g) unsweetened almond milk
- ¼ cup (72 g) orgeat – an almond syrup, often used in tiki drinks
- blueberry jam
In a blender, combine all the sorbet base ingredients (everything except the jam). Maybe add the almond butter last, so it doesn’t gum up the blades of your blender. Blend — slowly at first, then more vigorously — for several minutes. Put the blender jar in your refrigerator to chill for several hours or overnight. (If you don’t have an ice cream maker, pour the base into a zip-close bag, and lay it flat in your freezer to freeze solid.)
Reblend your cold sorbet base, then pour it into your ice cream maker, and churn it according to the manufacturer’s instructions. If you don’t have an ice cream maker, cut your frozen sorbet base into ice-cube-sized chunks, and break them down in your blender or food processor. You will end up with soft-serve consistency ice cream.
Spoon the ice cream into freezing containers, alternating layers with blueberry jam. You’re looking for a ratio of about 60 percent sorbet to 40 percent jam. Store in your freezer for several hours to harden up. You can buy cardboard ice cream containers online, but one-pint, plastic takeout containers work well, too; just keep in mind that they crack easily when frozen, so you might only get one use out of each one. This recipe will make about a quart of sorbet.
There are some foods that don’t work with others. But then there are others — citrus fruits for instance, or almonds — that are the Miss Congenialitys of the food world. Almonds work especially well with blueberries.
Cold and almondy, with fruity overtones is a winning combination. And, not for nothin’, it’s very pretty.
Featured photo: Almond Blueberry Swirl Sorbet. Photo by John Fladd.