Summertime equals sorbet time

Summer, like no other season, calls for a fresh and fruity dessert. And luckily, there is so much to choose from.

Ice cream might be the first thought that comes to mind. Soft and creamy, offered in a fantastic variety of flavours.

One downside: it might be a little too high in fat content (14-25 %). However, there are so many other options, both delicious and with less danger to the waistline.

Italian gelato vs. sherbet vs. sorbet

Let’s start with Italian gelato, which has considerably less fat than ice cream (4-9 %). It also comes in a variety of flavours. But without cream, the choice is limited to fruity options.

A sherbet has just the tiniest amount of cream, less than gelato (1-2%).

And a sorbet has no cream whatsoever. It is purely made of fruit purée, syrups and sometimes alcohol.

Sorbet is the ideal summer treat for vegans

Sorbet is a vegan-friendly option which will add minimal calorie count to your daily intake. But it will undoubtedly refresh and delight.

Sorbet is served at a temperature from -5 to -10 C/ 10-22 F. This allows the texture to be light and bursting with flavour.

Originally sorbets were served between courses to cleanse the palate. But today, it has successfully travelled into the category of desserts.

Sorbet – a quick prepared homemade delight

Sorbets are very easy to make at home. There is no need for special equipment.

You can make a sorbet with just a handful of ingredients. Choose from frozen fruit or fresh one. Even better if you have some overripe ones – they tend to give your sorbet more sweetness.

Get your hands on an easily-prepared sorbet

For an easy raspberry sorbet, you will need just 500 g / 2 ¾ cup of raspberries, 200 g / 1 cup of sugar and juice of 1 lemon.

Method:

1. On medium heat, dissolve sugar in 270 ml / 1 cup of water. Cook until the liquid thickens and turns into syrup.
2. In the meantime, blitz the raspberries and lemon juice in a food processor.
3. Run the blitzed raspberries through a sieve, discarding the seeds.
4. Once the sugar syrup cools down, mix it with the raspberry purée.
5. Then transfer it to a container for freezing.
6. Leave it in a freezer for 1,5 hours.
7. Then remove and stir to break up the ice.
8. Return to the freezer for another hour, then do it once more to stop forming ice. Repeat this step 2 more times or as long as it takes for the liquid to get the consistency for scooping.

Serve immediately either between courses or as a dessert.

How about an exquisite banana sorbet

Do you crave something more creamy and less zesty? Try a banana sorbet. The riper the banana, the better. If you have one or two almost black-skinned bananas awaiting their final fate,

1. pill, cut in segments and freeze.
2. Once ready to make the sorbet, take the frozen banana segments and place them in a high-power blender. Whizz until it becomes pale yellow and creamy.

It will get a perfect consistency, even if, at first, you might struggle to cut through the frozen fruit.

Sprinkle it with crushed nuts or grated chocolate and serve immediately.