Recipe

Fizzy Orange Sherbet Cooler

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Photo by James Ransom

This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Soda Fountain Recipe

This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Citrus Recipe
biffbourgeois's Testing Notes: Light, refreshing and bright, just like citrus should be. The sherbet recipe really is fantastic. We love the whipped cream idea. It makes the sherbet silky smooth and airy. It's very simple...
Light, refreshing and bright, just like citrus should be. The sherbet recipe really is fantastic. We love the whipped cream idea. It makes the sherbet silky smooth and airy. It's very simple and very good, who could ask for more?

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Chef
EmilyC's Notes: I’ve made this sherbet recipe, adapted from Cooks Illustrated, more than a dozen times, and each time, I can’t get over how good, bright, and delicious it is. It knocks the socks off store...
I’ve made this sherbet recipe, adapted from Cooks Illustrated, more than a dozen times, and each time, I can’t get over how good, bright, and delicious it is. It knocks the socks off store-bought versions. My favorite part of this recipe is the technique of whipping the cream and then gently incorporating it into the orange juice base, which results in a wonderfully creamy yet light sherbet. Enjoy the sherbet on its own, or for a really refreshing drink, combine a few scoops of it with orange juice and seltzer. The sherbet recipe is very adaptable, so feel free to play around with the types of citrus you use. A nice variation is using 1 cup OJ and 1 cup grapefruit juice, especially when grapefruits are at their peak.

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Serves 1

For orange sherbet:

1 T grated zest from 1 to 2 oranges or lemons Ask a question about this ingredient

1 cup sugar Ask a question about this ingredient

1/8 tsp salt Ask a question about this ingredient

2 cups orange juice, preferably freshly squeezed Ask a question about this ingredient

¼ cup lemon juice from 1 to 2 lemons Ask a question about this ingredient

2/3 cup heavy cream Ask a question about this ingredient

In a food processor, process zest, sugar, and salt for about 10 to 15 one-second pulses, or until damp. With machine running, add OJ and lemon juice in a steady stream. Continue to process until sugar is fully dissolved, about 1 minute.
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Pass mixture through fine-mesh strainer into medium-sized bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the freezer until very cold but not frozen – about 45 minutes. Alternatively, chill in the refrigerator for 2+ hours.
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When juice mixture is cold, whip the cream using whisk or stand mixer until soft peaks form. Whisking constantly, add juice mixture to cream in a steady stream, pouring against the edge of the bowl. Immediately transfer juice/cream mixture to the canister of your ice cream maker and begin churning. Churn until set, about 25 to 30 minutes.
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When done, transfer sherbet from canister to storage container and press plastic wrap against surface. Freeze until firm, about 3 hours.
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To assemble coolers:

½ cup orange juice, preferably freshly squeezed, chilled Ask a question about this ingredient

½ cup seltzer, chilled Ask a question about this ingredient

½ cup orange sherbet Ask a question about this ingredient

Pour the orange juice and seltzer into a tall glass, with enough clearance to hold the sherbet. Add the sherbet and let it fizz. Alternatively, you can blend the three ingredients together for a shake of sorts. Enjoy!
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16 Comments on Fizzy Orange Sherbet Cooler

hardlikearmour added 3 months ago

This sounds fantastic, Emily! I bet the grapefruit-orange version would be incredibly refreshing in the cooler. Congrats!

EmilyC added 3 months ago

Thanks HLA! The grapefruit-orange combination is hard to beat!

cookinginvictoria added 3 months ago

Congrats on the CP, Emily! This sounds wonderful -- I love the idea of making my own sherbert, especially with oranges and/or grapefruits.

EmilyC added 3 months ago

Thanks so much, cookinginvictoria! This sherbet is one of my favorite desserts to serve to guests -- it's a lot of reward for very little effort!

creamtea added 3 months ago

Congrats on your CP. This sounds luscious.

EmilyC added 3 months ago

Thanks creamtea!

sdebrango added 4 months ago

I love sherbet and this sounds like a creamcicle which was my favorite. Every party I used to beg my mother to make a sherbet punch very similar to this, YUM

EmilyC added 4 months ago

Thanks sdebrango -- and I share your love of creamsicles and sherbet punch! I serve this sherbet a lot to company, always to rave reviews. It's one of those simple desserts that's much more delicious than what you'd expect. I love to use the leftovers to make these drinks.

sdebrango added 4 months ago

I copied the recipe onto evernote and am going to make the sherbet. I can't think of a more delicious way to get my Vitamin C than to have a big glass of this.

EmilyC added 4 months ago

That's great to hear -- hope you enjoy both the sherbet and the drinks!

EmilyC added 11 months ago

Thanks! The tangerine variation sounds fantastic. I'm partial to citrus, but I've made the same sherbet recipe with red raspberries (a 12 oz bag of frozen works well) with good results.

gingerroot added 11 months ago

This sounds so good! I'm a huge fan of Merrill's Best Lime Ice Cream which is similar to this - just sugar, cream, freshly squeezed citrus - and have made variations with tangerine and orange/lime. You are so right about how bright and refreshing it is compared to store bought. I can almost taste one of these.