I am having a problem making a good Sorbet. My problem is that after it is frozen, the sorbet appears to be very 'dry'. What I mean by this is it is almost impossible to make the sorbet form into a ball with a scoop. Instead it wants to break apart into small pieces. Don't get me wrong, the sorbet is soft to scoop, but won't stay together. Are there any tricks I'm missing?

thanks in advance.

By Pastrycrew (Pastrycrew) on Sunday, June 08, 2003 - 01:35 am: Edit

Boarder,

What type of sorbet are you making? Are you using any types of stabilizer?

It sounds like your recipe could use a bit more sugar which acts as a softener/anti-freeze. Or, if it's available, you can also add in some powdered glucose, or regular - adjusting the liquid accordingly. This will make it smoother. I guess you could just as well use corn syrup if you had to.

Email me if you would like any formulas.

Hope this helps,

bkt

There's a sorbet chart using 10% sugar added Ravi-fruit purees on the link below. You don't have to use the stabilizers or dextrose, but they do allow for a longer spinning time/storage life.

http://www.patisamerica.com/ravifruitrecipes/

By Chefspike (Chefspike) on Sunday, June 08, 2003 - 10:50 pm: Edit

try this, it always worked for me.
start with your puree', then add your sugar water,
(equal amount of sugar to water)...float a raw egg (still in the shell) in your mix and when you get the size of a quarter showing on top, stop adding the sugar-water mixture.
let us know how this worked for you.

By Cheftim (Cheftim) on Monday, June 09, 2003 - 12:51 am: Edit

---

Quote:

float a raw egg (still in the shell) in your mix and when you get the size of a quarter showing on top, stop adding the sugar-water mixture

---

By Kinglear (Kinglear) on Monday, June 09, 2003 - 09:18 am: Edit

Why not just obtain a sucrose density meter and add simple syrup until you reach a level of 32%? Easy as pie.
I also add a little meringue to my sorbet (about 10-15% of total liquid volume) near the end of the freezing process. Always smooth and scoopable.

By Dolphinwaves (Dolphinwaves) on Monday, June 09, 2003 - 04:52 pm: Edit

Does this happen with every type of sorbet? I have noticed that the really watery sorbets I use they do this, but the denser ones do not. For example, I make a lemon thyme sorbet that just gets lemon juice, thyme, sugar and glucose, its heated on the stove, then run through, this one comes out just like you described, but say one that I use a puree, such as raspberry, and add sorbet syrup to it does not. It might also have something to do with the type of machine you use to freeze because when I worked at a different restaurant we used a different type of machine and the lemon sorbet came out fine.

When I make sorbet, if its a puree, I use 1 L of puree to 18 oz of sorbet syrup. And my sorbet syrup is made with trimoline and sometype of gelatin stabilizer.

By Matisse (Matisse) on Thursday, June 12, 2003 - 09:20 pm: Edit

Here's my recipe for sorbets that don't contain any fruit puree, are high in acid or alcohol, in this case lemon sorbet:

2600g water
750 g sugar
150 g dextrose
650 g frozen lemon juice or other juice (fresh)
zest from 3 lemons
zest from 1 lime
30 g stabilizer (Mono-diglyceride) i.e. Cremodan, CMC or other.

If you don't have access to prof. stabilizers, let me know, I can give you a list of things to mix.

By Boarder (Boarder) on Friday, June 13, 2003 - 07:13 am: Edit

Thanks everyone.
I appreciate all your advice and will try the recipes and methods you advise.
The sorbet I was having a problem with was made with a cherry pulp and after listening to all your helpful suggestions I believe that I haven't had enough sugar or such in the mixture.
I don't have access to prof. stabilizers. I am only experimenting for personal use and as such am only making small quantities.
The recipe I was using only included:
200 ml Cherry pulp
100 ml water
40 ml lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon almond essence
1 whisked egg white.

I gather from your advice that I should include either more sugar, glucose, dextrose and / or stabilizer. What effect do these ingredients have on the mixture? Do they reduce freezing temp, make a better consistency? If I wish to make a 'less sweet' sorbet how can I achieve this and maintain the correct consistency without the sugar?

thanks again

By Matisse (Matisse) on Friday, June 13, 2003 - 12:53 pm: Edit

Boarder,

you have plenty of sugar in your mix, too much...

Forget about the stabilizers for a second.

Here is what I would do:

Make a sorbet syrup in your case 100 ml water:1/4 cup of sugar, that gets you about 14 or 15 Baume, that is what I use for intermezzos. So, combine that and bring it to a boil. Let cool. Done.

Then, start adding this syrup to the pulp and start tasting it until you find it is sweet enough. Strain. Good.

Start adding the lemon juice, not all of it, until you find it is tart enough. Lemon juice lowers the freezing point, actually the acid does.

Then add your other ingredients and whip the egg white before adding it. You are using an Ice cream maker right?

Note:

Take notes...measure everything you are adding and write down.

Also, I think there is plenty of pectin (fruit fiber) in your cherry pulp so you don't have to use a stabilizer especially with the egg white added which by the way turns your sorbet into a sherbet, technically speaking.

Isn't it fun?

Good luck.

By Chefspike (Chefspike) on Friday, June 13, 2003 - 07:24 pm: Edit

sorry my sh*t is old for ya, I'll stop giving advice.

By Cheftim (Cheftim) on Saturday, June 14, 2003 - 12:57 am: Edit

Don't be petulant Spike.

By Chefmanny (Chefmanny) on Sunday, June 15, 2003 - 07:56 pm: Edit

Don't you get high on acid and alcohol Matisse????
How about mixing stuff?????

By Matisse (Matisse) on Tuesday, June 17, 2003 - 11:23 pm: Edit

dropping a drop a acid...naw. Who wants to be sober in a kitchen, anyway.

and mixing it will just enlighten you...so I've heard

By Chefspike (Chefspike) on Thursday, June 19, 2003 - 04:08 pm: Edit

window pane......mesq.....sugar cube.
I think I still have a sheet of something in my freezer, LOL.

By Chefspike (Chefspike) on Thursday, June 19, 2003 - 04:11 pm: Edit

JUST FLOAT A FUC*ING EGG AND BE DONE WITH IT
CHRIST !

By Chefmanny (Chefmanny) on Thursday, June 19, 2003 - 08:09 pm: Edit

You are beign PETULANT again Spike!!!!
Is that someone who pets ur ant?????
You and those floating eggs, why not just make an omelette??? Oh, I forgot you're a pastry chef, you can't cook!!!!
No offense you PETULANT pagan!!!!!

By Chefmanny (Chefmanny) on Thursday, June 19, 2003 - 08:20 pm: Edit

Petulant:
ADJECTIVE:
Having or showing a bad temper: bad-tempered, cantankerous, crabbed, cranky,
cross, disagreeable, fretful, grouchy, grumpy, ill-tempered, irascible, irritable, nasty,
peevish, querulous, snappish, snappy, surly, testy, ugly, waspish. Informal : crabby,
mean2. Idioms: out of sorts. See ATTITUDE.

Yeap! Sounds like Spike to me!!!!!!

By Chefspike (Chefspike) on Saturday, June 21, 2003 - 11:26 pm: Edit

yea, that sounds like me during hockey!
but not these........
(fretful,peevish).
and what the hell is this???.......waspish...?
what are you saying?, you calling me a white boy?

By Chefspike (Chefspike) on Saturday, June 21, 2003 - 11:28 pm: Edit

oh and by the way, I can cook baby!
couple sauce pans, couple army square heads with lids and I can feed hundreds. LOL.