Blood Orange, Key Lime and Kumquat Sorbet

Inspired by all the citrus available and the color palettes for spring, I started a crazy sorbet making spree last week. I made sorbet of all fruit I encountered at the store and we have been enjoying the refreshing treats every afternoon. All this abundant fruit makes me very happy.

I know many of you are in the dead of winter, surrounded by snow and frigid temperatures, but I can have ice cream and sorbet all year round regardless of the temperature outside. In fact, we have been experiencing some chilly temperatures as well, but not even that is enough to keep me away from the freezer.

The combination of theses three sorbets is almost like a symphony of color and taste. I know, I know, it sounds cheesy when I say it that way, but it’s true. There are different levels of sour in these sorbets and they compliment each other very well.

Squeezing the tiny key limes one after another took its time, but it was so worth it. The flavor is so pungent, sour and vibrant. The sorbet is by far the most sour of them all, but it balances out perfectly the sweetness of the kumquat sorbet, which is the “mildest” of the bunch.

Blood oranges must have the most special color of all the fruit and once turned into sorbet, it turns into this bubblegum pink that not even C could resist. This was my favorite sorbet of the three, not too sweet not too sour. So here is to sorbet in the middle of winter!

Kumquat Sorbet

400 grams kumquat puree
600 grams simple syrup (50% water and 50% sugar)

Whisk together the kumquat puree and simple syrup and chill in the refrigerator for a few hours. Churn in ice cream machine.

Kumquat Puree

800 grams kumquats
Water to cover, 3 batches

Place kumquats in a medium saucepan and add enough water to cover them. Bring to a boil. Drain the kumquats and repeat the process two more times with fresh water every time. This removes some of the bitterness from the fruit.

Place the cooked kumquats in the food processor or a blender and puree. Strain the puree through a fine sieve. You should get about 400 grams of kumquat puree.

Key Lime Sorbet

480 grams simple syrup (50% water and 50% sugar)
420 grams key lime juice

Combine both components and chill in the refrigerator for a few hours. Churn in ice cream machine and freeze.

Blood Orange Sorbet

This sorbet uses ingredients that might be difficult to get for some of you, but the resulting sorbet has great texture and mouth feel. If you prefer, you could follow the same recipe as for the key lime sorbet but using the blood orange juice instead.

250 grams blood orange juice
110 grams sugar
2 grams sorbet stabilizer
60 grams atomized glucose
200 grams water

Place water in a saucepan and heat slightly. Add the atomized glucose, whisk and bring to a boil. Mix the sugar and the sorbet stabilizer in a bowl and add to the boiling syrup. Whisk and return syrup to a boil. Remove from heat.

Refrigerate the syrup for at least 4 hours. Add the blood orange juice to the syrup and churn in ice cream machine. Freeze.