Orange ya glad there's sherbet?

Ingredients list for my local Harris Teeter store-brand orange sherbet:

MILK, SUGAR, CORN SYRUP,
HIGH-FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, NONFAT DRY
MILK, ORANGE CONCENTRATE (ORANGE JUICE,
ORANGE PULP, CORN SYRUP, ORANGE OIL,
SODIUM BENZOATE [PRESERVATIVE]), CITRIC
ACID, LOCUST BEAN GUM, MONO- AND
DIGLYCERIDES, MODIFIED CELLULOSE, GUAR
GUM, POLYSORBATE 80, DEXTROSE, VITAMIN A
PALMITATE, ANNATTO COLOR, RED 40.

I like store-bought sherbet, but there's zippy chance I'd buying all that stuff. I'm not supposed to have high-fructose corn syrup anyway, so I had to come up with a different recipe. Important considerations:

• Type of juice
• Fresh squeezed or out of a jug?
• Type of dairy
• Half-and-half or milk?
• Buttermilk - yes or no?
• Ratio of juice to dairy
• Should there be some invert sugar?
• Lemon juice?
• Orange zest?

After much searching, the first question I tackled was juice-to-dairy ratio. Most recipes fall into one of three camps: 2-to-1, 2-to-1.5 (4-to-3), and 1-to-1. 2-to-1.5 is right in the middle, and it's Alton's sherbet ratio. That's a no-brainer.

I went with a jug of good-quality, pulp-free OJ from the mega-mart. I went with pulp-free so the kids would drink the leftover juice. If you want pulp, knock yourself out. Harris Teeter sees fit to add it, so who am I to judge?

Store-bought sherbet relies on a bunch of industrial food magic to get a good texture. I don't have any magic ingredients, so I decided to up the milkfat content a bit with a combo of half-and-half and buttermilk. Due to the high water content, I also decided to include an invert sugar in the hopes that the texture would be better. Kayro syrup to the rescue!

Orange Sherbet

• 2 cups high-quality, pulp-free orange juice
• 1 cup half-and-half
• ½ cup whole buttermilk
• 1 TBSP lemon juice
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ½ cup sugar
• 170g Kayro syrup

1. Whisk ingredients until the sugar is completely dissolved
2. Churn per manufacturer's directions
3. Place in an appropriate sealed container and “ripen” in the freezer for at least 4 hours

This sherbet turned out pretty good, but the vanilla flavor was stronger than I wanted. The texture was also harder than the store-bought stuff. I'm not sure I can get around the texture issue without resorting to “magic”. On the bright side, the texture was way better than a block of ice, and the orange flavor was pretty good. Next time, I'll try with less milkfat and no vanilla, just to see what happens.

Facts some might find interesting

• There's a legal definition of sherbet in the US. If you're interested, search the web for “21CFR135.140”. Of interest, sherbet must weight 6 lbs. per gallon or more and contain 1%-2% milkfat. I'm not selling it, so I'm not too worried about the rules.
• Where I grew up, most people called the stuff sherbert. Turns out, sherbert is just as valid a spelling as sherbet. For years I thought it was just a case of a phantom ‘R’ like the one in wash. Check out Merriam Webster for more info.

There are no ads on this page. I mention brands for specificity or context.

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Zombie Ice Cream

Remember the vanilla almost-ice cream I made in my first attempt? I let it melt in the refrigerator, added stuff, and rechurned it. This actually worked‽

I guessed at the amount of cream, sugar, and vanilla to add. Here's what I did:

Revamped Vanilla

• 2 cups heavy cream
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 1.5 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups melted igloo brick

1. Melt vanilla-flavored igloo brick in the refrigerator
2. Add sugar, vanilla, and heavy cream
3. Whisk until sugar is dissolved.
4. Churn per manufacturer's directions

The texture? Better! This is really ice cream, but it could be creamier. I wonder if there were still some ice crystals hanging around when I rechurned it. I'm not sure about the amount of sugar I added, but I'm happy given the initial state of things. I'm calling this a save.

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Halva Nice Day!

I made Halva ice cream. According to the spruce Eats, Halva is tahini (sesame paste), sugar, and heavy cream, which is pretty much an ice cream base already. This one won't be for everyone, but I liked the result. This recipe comes directly from the spruce Eats.

Helluva Halva Ice Cream

• 1 cup whole milk
• 2 cups heavy cream
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla paste or pure vanilla extract (I went with extract)
• ¼ tsp salt
• ⅔ cup tahini (sesame paste)

1. In a suitable bowl, whisk together milk, cream, sugar, vanilla, salt, and tahini
2. Churn per manufacturer's instructions
3. Place in freezer to harden

Using a vetted recipe results in adequate fat content and a good texture. You can really taste the sesame. the spruce Eats suggests topping with Halva candy, but I didn't do that. I drizzled on vanilla-infused maple syrup, which was a nice combination. Chocolate sauce might also work.

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Real Chocolate Ice Cream

I found heavy cream, so what now? This time, a full-fat, no-cook chocolate. After a fair bit of surfing, I cobbled together the following recipe.

Charming Chocolate Ice Cream

• ~57 grams Hershey's Special Dark dutched cocoa powder (not an ad—I had it on hand)
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 2 cups half-and-half
• 1.25 cups granulated sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Add the half-and-half, sugar, and cocoa powder to a suitable bowl and whisk until the sugar is dissolved and the cocoa is incorporated
2. Add the heavy cream and vanilla and whisk to combine
3. Cover tightly with cling film and place the bowl in the fridge for 30-60 minutes to let the cocoa hydrate
4. Whisk again to make sure everything is combined and churn per manufacturer's directions

This time? Real, creamy ice cream! It was quite nice immediately out of the churn, with great mouth feel and plenty of chocolate flavor. However, the chocolate was a little harsh, somehow. Some might be tempted to blame the brand of cocoa, but I'm not sure that's it. The flavor was much better the next day, and with the higher fat content, this ice cream was scoopable at 0°F.

I'll substitute some or all of the half-and-half with whole milk next time to see the difference. I'll also add a splash more vanilla. All-in-all, I'm counting Charming Chocolate as a success.

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First Attempt

My ice cream maker arrived Sunday: a day early! I wasn't quite ready to start making ice cream, but I didn't let that stop me. I started with an eggless base, so I didn't have to cook anything. The going-in recipe:

Vanilla Ice Cream

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 2 cups whole milk
• ⅔ cup sugar
• 2 tsp real vanilla extract

1. Add ingrediants to a large bowl and whisk until the sugar disolves
2. Put mixture in an ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer's directions

I didn't have any heavy cream, and neither did any of the stores I visited. I used half-and-half instead. The executed recipe:

Not Quite Vanilla Ice Cream

• 3 cups half-and-half
• 1 cup whole milk
• ⅔ cup sugar
• 1 TBSP real vanilla extract (I like Vanilla)

1. The mixture was churned until a “soft-serve” consistency was approximated.

I dropped the milk ratio, attempting to compensate for half-and-half's leaner fat content. In retrospect, I didn't drop it enough. The initial consistency was more like soft ice milk than soft-serve ice cream. A bit more sugar might have helped, too. The next morning, I had a brick of ice more suitable for igloo construction than eating. The bit I chipped off tasted pretty good, though.

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In the Beginning

I've wanted an ice cream maker for a while. Since I was a kid “for a while.” A few days ago, I realized that I'm a grown man, and I can buy an ice cream maker if I want. I did. I'm now the proud owner of a Whynter ICM-200LS (not an ad).

This might be over-compensating.

I want to get better over time. This goes for making ice cream, so I'll record my misadventures here. Hopefully, I'll learn something along the way.

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