To use the raspberry sherbet in my freezer to make a delightful adult dessert. I made the raspberry sherbet this fall when the raspberries in my local grocery store were essentially "on clearance." This week, my fridge is full of cherries and blueberries that I got on sale. As I was settling in for the evening with a movie, instead of a glass of wine, I wanted something sweet but refreshing. My mind immediately settled on black raspberry liqueur, but I didn't want a drink. Remembering the cherries and blueberries in the fridge and the raspberry sherbet in the freezer that wasn't getting any fresher, I got a vision of a very colorful dessert full of berries. Sherbet recipe was adapted from Simply Cooking and Joy of Baking.
Hypothesis: the flavor of the alcohol will be masked by the sherbet and the dessert will be fresh and tangy.
Materials
For sherbet:
4 cups (or 1 pound) of fresh raspberries, washed
2 cups whole milk
1 cup granulated sugar (or more to taste)
1 1/2 teaspoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice*
*Note: some people like to add a little alcohol (about 2 teaspoons) to their frozen yogurt and sorbets to prevent it from becoming a block of ice. Instead of (or in addition to) fresh squeezed lemon juice, you could try adding a bit of lemon vodka or lemoncello in the last minute or two of the freezing process to get the tang of the lemon with the added bonus of reducing ice formation in your sherbet.
For dessert:
2 scoops of raspberry sherbet
10 fresh blueberries
5 fresh cherries, pitted
2 oz (or more if you're not a lightweight like me) black raspberry liqueur (like Chambord)
Methods
For sherbet:
1. In a blender or food processor, puree the berries, milk and sugar until smooth. Taste the mixture and make sure that it is sweet enough. If it's too tart, add more sugar to taste.
2. To remove the seeds, strain the mixture into a large bowl (I recommend a batter bowl or measuring cup that holds 4+ cups and has a pour-spout). This step is tough. I used a fine mesh strainer and a spatula and it took me around 2 hours and I stained my entire kitchen magenta. Truthfully, at this step I swore I would never use raspberries to make anything ever again unless I could buy them seedless. What I suggest is squeezing the mixture through cheesecloth or a spice bag or something similar, in small batches, and washing the seeds out of the cloth before starting the next batch.
3. Stir in the lemon juice.
4. Cover and place in the fridge overnight (this will facilitate the freezing process).
5. Freeze per the directions of your ice cream maker. If you do not have an ice cream maker, place in a covered bowl in the the freezer and stir occasionally until the mixture freezes.
6. Store in a covered bowl in the freezer.
For dessert:
1. Place two small scoops of sherbet in a bowl.
2. Add blueberries and cherries that have been cut in half and pitted.
3. Drizzle black raspberry liqueur over the top and stir to mix.
Results
The dessert was colorful, tangy and refreshing. The flavors worked well together and the taste of the alcohol was not at all noticable.
Discussion and Future Directions
This dessert was everything I'd hoped it would be, and more. It was the perfect way to relax, though the liqueur alone might have been secret! Lighter in calories than ice cream, sherbet is more refreshing. This dessert could easily be made with whatever type of berries you have on hand, keeping in mind that blackberries and raspberries would have seeds to detract from the smooth texture of the dessert.
For this recipe I used Chambord liqueur, which as first introduced to me at the Mariner's Inn in a sauce served with roast duck. I later used it to make incredible butter cream frosting for brownies. I made a drink with cream and Chambord over ice which was delicious. It's not cheap, but I think it's worth it for its versatility. Plus, in my opinion, liqueurs that are made with real berries as opposed to "berry-flavored liqueurs" taste much better and mask the alcohol a lot more.
This dessert could absolutely be made with store-bought raspberry sherbet. If you don't have an ice cream maker or lack patience, I would actually recommend using store-bought raspberry sherbet. However, if you ever find yourself with more raspberries than you know what to do with, give the sherbet recipe a try. It's delicious and, in my opinion, tastes a lot truer than store-bought. Plus, it's on its fifth month in my freezer and still tastes as good as it did when it was fresh.
Supplementary Materials
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