Homemade Ice Cream v. Premium

[melkor]

I guess it's a way to force myself to get to know my neighbors.  Is it really that bad?

I've got no idea, I've never had the self control to leave any in the freezer.

[Busboy]

On a related note, what do you guys think about homemade versus restaurant or commercial sorbets?

I think homemade sorbets work out even better. The technique seems simpler, an amateur is much more capable of going toe-to-toe with a professional. And the real soul of a good sorbet is the fruit, and a home patissiere who wants to can essentially get fruit as good as any 4-star, if they're willing to go to the market and buy what's best, as opposed to deciding beforehand what to serve.

[bloviatrix]

For those of you planning on making sorbet, let me give you a piece of advice - don't add nuts, chunks of chocolate, etc to your sorbet. It's a disaster. I know this from experience.

Several months ago, I got the "brillant" idea of making Almond Joy sorbet after reading Jean-George's recipe for coconut sorbet. I figured if plain coconut sorbet was good, coconut sorbet with toasted almonds, chunks of bittersweet chocolate and grated coconut would be better. Not so. It was pretty awful. The texture of the sorbet was grainy, the almonds got soggy, and I choaked on the grated coconut.

My husband still hasn't let me live down that experiment.

[Busboy]

.

Several months ago, I got the "brillant" idea of making Almond Joy sorbet after reading Jean-George's  recipe for coconut sorbet.  I figured if plain coconut sorbet was good, coconut sorbet with toasted almonds, chunks of bittersweet chocolate and grated coconut would be better.  Not so.  It was pretty awful.  The texture of the sorbet was grainy, the almonds got soggy, and I choaked on the grated coconut.

My husband still hasn't let me live down that experiment. 

What doesn't kill you makes you a stronger cook. -- Julia (Nietzsche's) Child

[Rachel Perlow]

Several months ago, I got the "brillant" idea of making Almond Joy sorbet after reading Jean-George's  recipe for coconut sorbet.  I figured if plain coconut sorbet was good, coconut sorbet with toasted almonds, chunks of bittersweet chocolate and grated coconut would be better.  Not so.  It was pretty awful.  The texture of the sorbet was grainy, the almonds got soggy, and I choaked on the grated coconut.

The trick to making "additions" to sorbet, or ice cream for that matter, is to not add them before or while churning. Cut up the add-in and sprinkle it onto the ice cream as you spoon it into the storage container. That way the chunks remain chunky. The almonds pretty much need to be chocolate coated to not get soggy. I think you should have just taken an actual Almond Joy bar and cut it up and layered it into the coconut sorbet.

As for Jason's opinion about our sorbets, hmm, well, I think they taste good, but the last few have had a texture more similar to Italian ices than sorbet. I'm pretty sure it's due to the water content to amount of sugar, particularly with the watermelon sorbet. The mango sorbet we made last year had a nice creamy texture. I just think we're not that picky.

[bloviatrix]

Several months ago, I got the "brillant" idea of making Almond Joy sorbet after reading Jean-George's  recipe for coconut sorbet.  I figured if plain coconut sorbet was good, coconut sorbet with toasted almonds, chunks of bittersweet chocolate and grated coconut would be better.  Not so.  It was pretty awful.  The texture of the sorbet was grainy, the almonds got soggy, and I choaked on the grated coconut.

The trick to making "additions" to sorbet, or ice cream for that matter, is to not add them before or while churning. Cut up the add-in and sprinkle it onto the ice cream as you spoon it into the storage container. That way the chunks remain chunky. The almonds pretty much need to be chocolate coated to not get soggy. I think you should have just taken an actual Almond Joy bar and cut it up and layered it into the coconut sorbet.

Thanks for the "add-in" suggestion. I'll keep that in mind for future ice cream experiments.

As for the sorbet, the spouse has decreed that all future sorbet is to be smooth and creamy. This means I'll be sticking with pureed fruit and infused sugar syrups.

[enthusiast]

i was making gooseberry fool the other day. got the thickness all wrong (too much fruit puree to whipped cream?) so i just put it into the ice cream maker with a touch of extra sugar. definitely the best ice cream i've made - fantastic.

consistency of product is an issue though. i made some mango sorbet with a dash of vodka. the vodka seemed to keep to keep it from freezing absolutely solid - it was excellent. i made some more. not only did it freeze solid but, having defrosted a little, it was hairy!