A flavor explosion with beautiful color and texture. This simple sherbet has just the right sweetness and is incredibly refreshing. The perfect treat to cool off on a hot summer day — I love the white chocolate shavings folded into the sherbet for added texture and flavor.
What is sherbet?
Sherbet is a frozen dessert that falls between ice cream and sorbet. It’s made with fruit, water, and sugar like a sorbet, but includes a small amount of dairy — usually milk or sometimes egg whites — which gives it a subtly creamier texture and a lighter color.
I love the deep raspberry color in this version, enhanced with a few blackberries (you can use all raspberries if you prefer). The result is creamy, bright, and just sweet enough, with a pleasant texture from the white chocolate shavings. For a vegan option, substitute your favorite plant milk; I typically use whole milk.
Nothing satisfies a sweet tooth quite like homemade sherbet.
When the fruit purée is churned in an ice cream machine, a good amount of air is incorporated. This increases volume and helps keep the ice crystals small, resulting in a smoother, lighter texture.
Method overview
Make a simple syrup by heating water, pure cane sugar, and honey in a non-reactive pot until slightly reduced. Add fresh or thawed berries and pulse in a blender with milk until smooth. Strain the purée through a fine mesh strainer to remove seeds, chill thoroughly, then churn in an ice cream maker. When the sherbet is nearly firm, stir in shaved white chocolate. Freeze until set.
Pronunciation note: The correct spelling and pronunciation is “sherbet” (shur-bet), not the common mispronunciation “sherbert.”
Hard shell topping: melt bittersweet chocolate with a small amount of coconut oil and drizzle over cold sherbet; it hardens immediately for a crisp coating.
Enjoy this refreshing homemade sherbet!
Karen
Recipe: Karen’s Raspberry Sherbet with Shaved White Chocolate
Karen’s Raspberry Sherbet with Shaved White Chocolate
Equipment
- 1 ice cream machine
- 1 fine mesh strainer
- 1 blender
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 cups raspberries, fresh or frozen
- 1/2 cup blackberries (optional — you can use all raspberries)
- 1 cup filtered water
- 1 cup pure cane sugar (organic recommended)
- 1/4 cup raw honey
- 1/2 cup milk (full fat) or good quality almond milk
- 1/2 cup white chocolate shavings*
Instructions
Raspberry Sherbet
- Make the sugar syrup: combine water, sugar, and honey in a 3-quart non-reactive pot. Bring to a boil, stir to dissolve the sugar, then reduce heat to a low simmer and cook for about 5 minutes to slightly reduce the syrup.
- Add the raspberries and blackberries to the hot syrup and stir to coat. If using frozen berries, let them sit until softened.
- Carefully transfer the mixture to a blender. Add the milk and blend on low to high speed for about one minute, until smooth.
- Strain the purée through a fine mesh strainer into a large bowl, pressing the solids with a rubber spatula to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard the seeds. Cover and refrigerate the mixture until thoroughly cold, 4 hours or overnight.
- Churn the chilled mixture in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions until firm.
- While the sherbet churns, prepare the white chocolate shavings: shave the chocolate using a vegetable peeler while the bar is slightly warm (wrap the bar in waxed paper for easy handling) or warm for a few seconds in the microwave on a low setting. Warm chocolate shaves more cleanly.
- When the sherbet is firm, fold in the white chocolate shavings by adding them to the ice cream maker or stirring gently by hand. Spoon the sherbet into two pint containers, cover, and freeze until fully set.
Notes
*White chocolate shavings: Use the best quality white chocolate you can find. I like organic varieties with real vanilla bean specks.
Optional chocolate hardshell topping (for 1 pint): In a medium bowl, warm 1 1/4 teaspoons coconut oil until liquid. Add 1/2 cup finely chopped bittersweet chocolate and stir until melted. To serve, scoop cold sherbet into bowls and drizzle the topping over; it will harden immediately. Serve right away or return to the freezer for later.
This recipe is the property of Karen Sheer and may not be reproduced without permission.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximation.
Additional Info