I Need Help w/Sorbets and Frozen yogurt. So Please, Help Me!
I've been making my own sorbets and frozen yogurts now for a while (not so big on ice cream) and the results have been pretty good, but not exactly what I'm looking for. My problem is that I want a real intensity of flavor of the actual fruit, not of the sugar, which I need for proper consistency. I did a kick ass blueberry lemon frozen yogurt this weekend. It was really good, my best ever, but it still lacked the blueberry-ness I'd hoped for. I'm looking for that intensity of flavor that makes the back of your jaw take notice, you know?
So how do I get it? I realize that with frozen yogurt it would be way tougher, but how about with sorbets? Is there any way to use less sugar and not end up with a block of ice? Honestly, I'm about at the point where I'm considering using frozen concentrated juice, but that seems wrong somehow.
Any tips would be greatly appreciated.
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5 Comments:
go to the health food store and look for a product called "dynamic health" ...
it's in the bottled juice section. these products are fruit concentrates (like syrup) that have no sugar. a little goes a long way. i use a couple of tablespoons (or to taste) when i make sorbets. i usually make a lot of fruit sorbets this time of year and this product will really bump up the flavor without adding sugar. they make a variety of flavors and i enjoy mixing flavors.... i added some black cherry concentrate to a plum sorbet and it was very good. they make blueberry, that would work for your blueberry sorbet. they're not cheap but packed with great flavor .... they're also good in a little seltzer or water .... or even a nice vodka and soda.... (the pomegranate concentrate is my favorite for that)....
also, instead of making a simple syrup i use either agave nectar (use less than the sugar you'd use) or honey for that viscosity which you don't get with just sugar....
good luck and let us know how it turns out.....
pooch at 9:47PM on 08/03/09
Thanks @pooch. So, a question. With the agave nectar, say to get a reasonably smooth texture I use somewhere between 2/3'ds and 3/4ths of a cup of sugar, how much agave nectar would I use?
I already ordered the dynamic healthy cherry.
chisai at 10:41PM on 08/03/09
Add a pinch of salt to the recipe. It does that same thing in sweet dishes as it does in savory dishes -- it brings out the flavor of whatever is already in there.
Also, depending on what the fruit is, you might want to consider cooking some of it. Mix it with sugar, mash/puree/pulverize it, and then cook it down a bit. You aren't trying to carmelize it, you just want it to concentrate and lose some of the water, so cook slowly and stir so it doesn't burn. You probably don't want to cook all of it because you want the fresh taste, but cooking some and leaving some fresh will give some added depth to the flavor and by cooking out some of the water, you'll have more flavor.
Also depending on the fruit, sometimes what you need is a little extra tartness. Some lemon juice, lemon zest, citric acid or lemon powder will give you that little extra zing and help cut the sweetness.
Taste the mixture before you freeze, and adjust it. Keep in mind that when it's cold, it will be less intense. Sometimes I find that a little bit of vanilla extract will add a little depth of flavor as well. Or Chambord or some other fruity booze. Not a lot, just a little...
dbcurrie at 1:34PM on 08/04/09
You say you add the sugar for the consistency. You can do the same with vodka - the alcohol will also prevent the ice crystals from getting too big. And you can flavor the vodka as well, which allows you to add fruit flavors in yet another way.
shoneyjoe at 8:28PM on 08/04/09
@chisai - i think that ratio would be about right - but like dbcurrie says, just taste it before you freeze it up.... or check on line on an agave website for the ratios.... good luck....
pooch at 9:32PM on 08/06/09