Not all kids love fruit-based ice creams—one of my sons once wondered why the strawberries in ice cream “are hard like rocks”—but I have yet to meet a kid who doesn’t say yes to sherbet. There’s something about the creamy tang and bright colors that appeals to little and big kids both.
(A quick aside: Sherbet—not sherbert!—is typically made with pureed fruit or fruit juice, sugar, and milk or cream. Sorbet is the same, minus the dairy, and thus, not nearly as rich or delicious. I’m sorry if this is obvious, but I made and scooped homemade ice cream in a Jersey Shore town during one college summer, and seize every opportunity I can to drop some frozen-dessert knowledge. Don’t even get me started on water ice.)
Ok, back to sherbet: The beauty of it, other than the fact that it contains a few extra vitamins than your average ice cream given the fruit juice base, is that it’s super-easy to make. No ice cream maker needed, at least for my recipe. This is important to me, since a decade of living in closet-sized Manhattan apartments prevents me from comfortably acquiring any appliance that I won’t use at least once a week. (You will need a food processor, which I suspect is a tool that most moderately dedicated home cooks own due to its utility for many basic recipes, like soups and sauces and such. If you own an ice cream maker and not a food processor, my instinct is that you are probably a really fun person, and that I’d like to get to know you one day. But you might look for a different sherbet recipe here.)
My favorite type of sherbet to make is orange sherbet. Why? Because there is a 98% chance that you have every single ingredient needed in your kitchen right this instant, no matter what time of year it is or where you call home. You need OJ, whole milk or half and half, sugar, and a pinch of salt. That’s it! I’ve adapted this recipe from The All New Good Housekeeping Cookbook, which I received from my mother during my first year out of college and still use more than any other cookbook to this day. Start the process in the morning because there is a ‘fridge and freezer transfer to undertake, and if your kids catch wind that you are making homemade sherbet, you’d better have it ready for after-dinner dessert.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups milk (whole is best, or half and half)
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 cups orange juice (I use grocery-store-brand freshly squeezed, but any kind, especially homemade, works)
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Combine milk and sugar in a heavy saucepan over medium heat and stir for about two minutes, until small bubbles form around the edges of the liquid and sugar is dissolved. Pour into a medium bowl and press plastic wrap on the surface. Refrigerate until chilled, 1-4 hours.
- Stir O.J. and salt into cooled milk mixture, and pour it into a 9-inch square metal baking pan. Cover and freeze until firm, 4-6 hours.
- Scrape frozen sherbet into food processor and blend until smooth (but still frozen). Return to pan and freeze for another hour or two.
- Let sherbet sit for about 10 minutes on counter just before serving, so it's soft enough to scoop.
- Makes about 8 servings.
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