A scoop of bluebery sorbet laid on blueberry sorbet.

SORBETS – THE RIGHT WAY

Blueberry Sorbet

With fresh blueberries, water, and sugar.

We love making Blueberry Sorbet! It’s so delicious and bursting with flavour. We always make sure to use plenty of blueberries in the recipe, along with some water and just enough sugar. The sweetness of the sugar really complements the tartness of the blueberries, creating a perfect balance of flavours. If you’re a fan of fruity sorbets, you’ll definitely want to give this recipe a try.

Like all our sorbets, this one is loud in flavour too: with 65% blueberries, you will love how blueberry this Blueberry Sorbet is!

or see:

The ingredients

Do not reduce or replace anything; everything is there for a reason.

• Blueberries: we prefer to use fresh blueberries rather than frozen ones, because they seem to break down easier during blending. 

Sugar: use regular sugar (white granulated sugar).

Do not use any other sugar or sweetener, natural or artificial, liquid or powder, like honey, stevia, golden syrup, table sweeteners, confectioner’s sugar, etc.

• Water, drinkable (not shown in the picture).

Watch us making it
The recipe

Blueberry Sorbet

Ingredients:
Notes:

This recipe makes a 1.2 litre/quart sorbet mixture (before churning), perfect for ice cream makers with a capacity of 1.5 and up to 2 litres/quarts (like Cuisinart ice cream makers).

If you need to scale the sorbet mixture up or down, use this ratio of the ingredients (in weight only): 

blueberries 65.5% / sugar 12.7% / water 21.8%

in desired total weight of sorbet mixture.

for example, if you want to make 1000 g (approx. 1 litre) of sorbet mixture, you need:

• 1000 g x 65.5% = 655 g blueberries

• 1000 g x 12.7% = 127 g sugar

• 1000 g x 21.8% = 218 g sugar

The secret to this perfectly smooth sorbet is the quantity of the sugar. Although we prefer our sorbets on the less sweet side, the sugar in this sorbet contributes to its perfectly smooth texture and prevents the formation of ice crystals.
Using that much sugar also means that the sorbet melts fast during serving. So if you are making it when the weather is hot, you may want to reduce the sugar by 30 g; 1 oz, but expect it to become a little bit icier in the freezer.
Another way to make the sorbet taste less sweet is to replace part of the sugar with glucose syrup (you can replace up to 50g of sugar with 50 g of glucose syrup; equal quantities in weight) and still have this perfect texture. Just make sure to add the glucose syrup in step 3 after you strain the lemon water and before you boil it, stirring to dissolve it.

A flexible rubber spatula is good for:
-wiping the bottom of the saucepan when you cook dairy on the stovetop.
-scraping residues from bowls, saucepans etc.

If you do not have one, we strongly encourage you to buy one, preferably a flexible one. 

Instructions
Plan ahead:

The sorbet mixture should be completely cold before churning, so prepare it in advance to give it time to chill in the refrigerator.

If your ice cream maker has a removable freezer bowl, put it in the freezer for the whole time indicated by the manufacturer before churning, usually 24 hours.

Step 1: Make the sorbet mixture

Place the blueberries and the sugar in a 4-litre nonreactive saucepan.

Stir with a rubber spatula aiming to coat the blueberries with sugar.

Dissolve the sugar: bring the saucepan over low-medium heat and cook, stirring often, until the sugar dissolves and the blueberries begin to release their juices. We do not want it to come to a boil before the sugar dissolves, so if it begins to sizzle, briefly remove it from the heat and continue stirring to dissolve the sugar. 

When the sugar dissolves increase the heat to high and cook, stirring continuously. When it comes to a boil (bubbles up), boil for 1-2 minutes, stirring vigorously to avoid splattering. 

Remove from the heat and let it cool down.

Blend with an immersion blender until smooth, tilting the saucepan and scraping with a rubber spatula the sides and bottom to release any blueberry skins stuck there. Aim to keep the immersion blender blaze submerged in the blueberry pulp at all times to avoid splattering and staining.

Add the water (250 g; 8.8 oz) and blend to combine.

Step 2: Chill the sorbet mixture

Pour the sorbet mixture into a bowl, scraping all residues from the saucepan.

Put in the refrigerator until completely cold, about 8 hours, and up to 1 day.

When churning with a domestic ice cream maker, the sorbet mixture must be fridge-cold (feels fridge-cold to the touch / if you have a thermometer below 12ºC / 54ºF ).

If the sorbet mixture is not cold enough, the ice cream maker may not be able to churn it to its fullest potential, resulting in a sloppy liquid vs. fluffy sorbet.

Step 3: Churn the sorbet

Check if the sorbet mixture is cold before churning it: (it feels fridge-cold to the touch / below 12ºC / 54ºF).

Prepare the ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. 

Stir: with a rubber spatula give the sorbet mixture a nice, thorough stir.

Churn: with the machine running, pour the sorbet mixture through the canister and into the ice cream makerLeave to churn until fluffed up and steady; depending on your ice cream maker, this can take anywhere from 40-70 minutes.

This sorbet will expand and fluff up during churning. It is ready when it is fluffy. The total churning time depends on your ice cream maker and could be anywhere from 40-70 minutes.

To evaluate if it is ready, lift a spoonful; it should be thick enough to stand on the spoon, but it will still be soft. If it looks watery or starts to melt the moment you spoon it, leave it to churn for longer.

In any case, if you feel doubts about the consistency, leave it to churn for ten minutes more. But beware: at this stage, do not expect it to be like store-bought sorbet; for now, it will be softer. It will firm up only after it sets in the freezer. So, stop the ice cream maker when the sorbet is steady and fluffy, as described above.

Note that some ice cream makers are programmed to stop after a specific time, which doesn’t make sense because the sorbet may need to churn for more to reach its fullest potential. So, if you notice that your ice cream maker stops on its own and upon checking the sorbet, you find that it is sloppy instead of fluffy, try to turn the machine on again and leave it to churn until it reaches the desired texture.

Step 4: Put the sorbet in the freezer to set

Put in the freezer to set: before serving the sorbet or moving it to a container for storing, you have to put it in the freezer to set. To do so, turn off the ice cream maker and: 

· remove the removable freezer bowl (still filled with the ice cream) from the ice cream machine
· remove the paddle, scraping any sorbet attached to it back into the ice cream bowl 
· place it in the freezer, uncovered.

Setting time depends on many factors; see notes below for indicative times.

Serve or store: when it sets, you can serve it directly from the removable freezer bowl or transfer it to an airtight container for longer storage.

The setting time for the sorbet largely depends on the type of ice cream maker you use.

It can take :

  • 3-5 hours for removable freezer bowls (these are the ice cream maker bowls which you should pre-freeze before churning)
  • 1 hour for aluminium bowls (these are the bowls from compressor ice cream makers)

Note: the times given are indicative. Setting time depends on many factors.

When the sorbet is ready, it feels firm as you insert a knife into it; it should have this same firm consistency from top to bottom. Else:

  • not ready yet: it will feel hard on the top and softer as you go down
  • if left in the freezer for too long: it will be too hard for the knife to insert into it and too hard to scoop out of the ice cream bowl. Do not worry, though! Read right below how to soften it.

If the sorbet stays in the removable freezer bowl for too long, it will harden and be difficult to remove or serve.

To make it scoopable again, leave it in the refrigerator to soften. That can take:

  • anywhere from 4 to 10 hours for removable freezer bowls (the ones which need pre-freezing before churning)
  • 1-2 hours for aluminium bowls (these are the bowls from compressor ice cream makers)

(Note: the time given is indicative, time may vary depending on many factors, so do check it occasionally as it sits in the refrigerator.)

When the sorbet is easy to scoop you can transfer it to another container and store it in the freezer or serve it directly from the removable freezer bowl.

Straight after churning, the sorbet has a soft consistency and melts immediately upon contact with anything. This makes it impossible to serve or transfer to another container.

Putting it in the freezer after churning sets it and brings it to the right consistency, similar to that of a store-bought one.

Storing and serving

Storing: in the freezer for three months, covered well.

Scooping: this sorbet, like all artisanal sorbets, it freezes hard in the long term. You can make it scoopable by putting it in the refrigerator for 30-60 minutes.

Instructions

The sorbet mixture should be completely cold before churning, so prepare it in advance to give it time to chill in the refrigerator.

If your ice cream maker has a removable freezer bowl, put it in the freezer for the whole time indicated by the manufacturer before churning, usually 24 hours.

Place the blueberries and the sugar in a 4-litre nonreactive saucepan.

Stir with a rubber spatula aiming to coat the blueberries with sugar.

Dissolve the sugar: bring the saucepan over low-medium heat and cook, stirring often, until the sugar dissolves and the blueberries begin to release their juices. We do not want it to come to a boil before the sugar dissolves, so if it begins to sizzle, briefly remove it from the heat and continue stirring to dissolve the sugar. 

When the sugar dissolves increase the heat to high and cook, stirring continuously. When it comes to a boil (bubbles up), boil for 1-2 minutes, stirring vigorously to avoid splattering. 

Remove from the heat and let it cool down.

Blend with an immersion blender until smooth, tilting the saucepan and scraping with a rubber spatula the sides and bottom to release any blueberry skins stuck there. Aim to keep the immersion blender blaze submerged in the blueberry pulp at all times to avoid splattering and staining.

Add the water (250 g; 8.8 oz) and blend to combine.

Pour the sorbet mixture into a bowl, scraping all residues from the saucepan.

Put in the refrigerator until completely cold, about 8 hours, and up to 1 day.

Check if the sorbet mixture is cold before churning it: (it feels fridge-cold to the touch / below 12ºC / 54ºF).

Prepare the ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. 

Stir: with a rubber spatula give the sorbet mixture a nice, thorough stir.

Churn: with the machine running, pour the sorbet mixture through the canister and into the ice cream makerLeave to churn until fluffed up and steady; depending on your ice cream maker, this can take anywhere from 40-70 minutes.

Put in the freezer to set: before serving the sorbet or moving it to a container for storing, you have to put it in the freezer to set. To do so, turn off the ice cream maker and: 

· remove the removable freezer bowl (still filled with the ice cream) from the ice cream machine
· remove the paddle, scraping any sorbet attached to it back into the ice cream bowl 
· place it in the freezer, uncovered.

Setting time depends on many factors; see notes below for indicative times.

Serve or store: when it sets, you can serve it directly from the removable freezer bowl or transfer it to an airtight container for longer storage.

Storing: in the freezer for three months, covered well.

Scooping: this sorbet, like all artisanal sorbets, it freezes hard in the long term. You can make it scoopable by putting it in the refrigerator for 30-60.

When churning with a domestic ice cream maker, the sorbet mixture must be fridge-cold (feels fridge-cold to the touch / if you have a thermometer below 12ºC / 54ºF ).

If the sorbet mixture is not cold enough, the ice cream maker may not be able to churn it to its fullest potential, resulting in a sloppy liquid vs. fluffy sorbet.

This sorbet will expand and fluff up during churning. It is ready when it is fluffy. The total churning time depends on your ice cream maker and could be anywhere from 30-70 minutes.

To evaluate if it is ready, lift a spoonful; it should be thick enough to stand on the spoon, but it will still be soft. If it looks watery or starts to melt the moment you spoon it, leave it to churn for longer.

In any case, if you feel doubts about the consistency, leave it to churn for ten minutes more. But beware: at this stage, do not expect it to be like store-bought sorbet; for now, it will be softer. It will firm up only after it sets in the freezer. So, stop the ice cream maker when the sorbet is steady and fluffy, as described above.

Note that some ice cream makers are programmed to stop after a specific time, which doesn’t make sense because the sorbet may need to churn for more to reach its fullest potential. So, if you notice that your ice cream maker stops on its own and upon checking the sorbet, you find that it is sloppy instead of fluffy, try to turn the machine on again and leave it to churn until it reaches the desired texture.

The setting time for the sorbet largely depends on the type of ice cream maker you use.

It can take :

  • 3-5 hours for removable freezer bowls (these are the ice cream maker bowls which you should pre-freeze before churning)
  • 1 hour for aluminium bowls (these are the bowls from compressor ice cream makers)

Note: the times given are indicative. Setting time depends on many factors.

When the sorbet is ready, it feels firm as you insert a knife into it; it should have this same firm consistency from top to bottom. Else:

  • not ready yet: it will feel hard on the top and softer as you go down
  • if left in the freezer for too long: it will be too hard for the knife to insert into it and too hard to scoop out of the ice cream bowl. Do not worry, though! Read right below how to soften it.

If the sorbet stays in the removable freezer bowl for too long, it will harden and be difficult to remove or serve.

To make it scoopable again, leave it in the refrigerator to soften. That can take:

  • anywhere from 4 to 10 hours for removable freezer bowls (the ones which need pre-freezing before churning)
  • 1-2 hours for aluminium bowls (these are the bowls from compressor ice cream makers)

(Note: the time given is indicative, time may vary depending on many factors, so do check it occasionally as it sits in the refrigerator.)

When the sorbet is easy to scoop you can transfer it to another container and store it in the freezer or serve it directly from the removable freezer bowl.

If the sorbet stays in the removable freezer bowl for too long, it will harden and be difficult to remove or serve.

To make it scoopable again, leave it in the refrigerator to soften. That can take:

  • anywhere from 4 to 10 hours for removable freezer bowls (the ones which need pre-freezing before churning)
  • 1-2 hours for aluminium bowls (these are the bowls from compressor ice cream makers)

(Note: the time given is indicative, time may vary depending on many factors, so do check it occasionally as it sits in the refrigerator.)

When the sorbet is easy to scoop (or it has an internal temperature of approx. -10°C / 14°F if you have a thermometer), you can transfer it to another container and store it in the freezer or serve it directly from the removable freezer bowl.

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