If you were lucky, you probably grew up sweating in front of a hand-cranked ice cream machine on the Fourth of July. You and your cousins or siblings took turns making the ice cream while the grown-ups added the ice and rock salt, sometimes standing around in shorts and telling each other lies that it was almost ready.
Between turns for what felt like an hour but was actually more like five minutes, I’d be running around barefoot, with hot punks in hand, lighting smoke bombs and bottle rockets, careful to avoid being hit by projectiles of various sizes and temperatures, all the while scraping ice out of the ice cream maker to soothe my various burns. Ahh, the glory days.
In a fit of nostalgia, I searched the internet for an ice cream maker, and thankfully a friend was willing to lend me one, because I really don’t need one.
By the way, in case nostalgia gets too much for you, you can buy a hand-cranked, retro-looking ice cream maker online or at your local big box store for a reasonable price. They know their customer base.
My current Cuisinart maker is a dream. Instead of a row of milking stations on the garage floor, it sits on the counter and is perfect for making 1.5 quarts of ice cream, frozen yogurt, and sorbet. I’ve used it four times and never once broke a sweat.
My teenage daughter is absolutely thrilled with this ice cream maker. And rightly so. The process is quick and easy. She has no idea how much effort we put into it to get to this point. The first batch was basic vanilla. I used vanilla bean paste, which gave it those attractive dark specks that you get in true vanilla ice cream. The second batch was mint chocolate chip, which wasn’t even green. Definitely a first for me. The mint flavor and the crushed dark chocolate bits were refreshing. Amazing.
But the third cold treat, dark chocolate sorbet, is still haunting and may tip the scales, figuratively and literally. It shouldn’t be that easy to make something so indulgent, but it is. Don’t be surprised if I’m soon to be the proud owner of an ice cream maker. Just know that it’s because of the sorbet. Velvety smooth, super dense and rich, it feels like lava cake, but… the opposite of lava. Cold lava? The recipe is below. Just go ahead and make it. Don’t overthink it. Listen to your intuition. You want dark chocolate sorbet.
The final ice cream was a heavenly plain base with swirls of toffee pieces, peanut butter, and a whopping amount of dark chocolate sorbet mixed in to mimic the ripples of fudge. I’m Willy Wonka now, and I plan to keep riding this ice cream wave until I run out of ingredients or summer is over, which I think you all know which will be. The whole milk I purchased for this ice cream adventure expired a few days ago, but the watermelon sorbet is dairy-free.
If this is the only frozen dessert you make this summer, it will be good enough. It only takes a few scoops to be satisfying. Have fun. Don’t worry if you don’t have an ice cream maker. Where there’s a will, there’s a way. Just follow the recipe for steps.
Dark Chocolate Sorbet
3 cups water
1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
Pinch of salt
1 2/3 cups sifted cocoa powder
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Make the syrup by combining the water, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat and mixing all three together. Heat until the sugar is completely dissolved. Gradually add the cocoa powder to the syrup, whisking constantly until smooth. Add the vanilla and stir. Cover and refrigerate for 2-3 hours or overnight. Turn on your Cuisinart ice cream maker and pour the mixture into the bowl in the freezer and mix for about 15-20 minutes until thickened. The sorbet will have a soft, creamy texture. If you prefer a firmer texture, transfer the sorbet to an airtight container and refrigerate for about 2 hours. Remove from freezer about 15 minutes before serving.
Makes about 5 cups or 10 half-cup servings.
Source: cuisinart.com
If you don’t have a machine, pour the sorbet mixture onto a baking sheet and freeze. Break up the frozen chocolate sheets and process in a food processor. For an even smoother texture, pour the mixture onto a baking sheet, freeze again, and process again. It’s worth it.
Amanda Stone She is the food and gardening columnist for the Joplin Globe and the executive director of Bright Futures Joplin. Email your questions to amandastone31@gmail.com or mail them to The Joplin Globe, PO Box 7, Joplin, MO 64802.
