Black Cherry Sorbet

I've been wanting to make sorbet for a while, but was afraid it would be too icy without something to help inhibit ice crystals from forming. Corn syrup won't crystallize and that is why it's used in almost all commercial ice creams, sherbets, sorbets, etc. It keeps the product soft after freezing and gives it a smooth texture. However, I do not want to use corn syrup, so I was searching for another product. Yellow Chick suggested that I try blue agave nectar in place of corn syrup. I found out through research that blue agave nectar will not crystallize, plus it's all natural and has a low glycemic index, so I decided to give it a try.

Black Cherry Sorbet ~

2 1/2 cups black cherries (fresh or frozen), pitted

2 cups 100% black cherry juice (I found this at Fresh & Easy)

1/2 cup blue agave nectar

1/8 cup lemon juice

1. In a food processor or blender, blend together all the ingredients.
2. Chill in the refrigerator until very cold.
3. Turn on your ice cream maker and pour the mixture in.
4. Churn until it's soft but holds it's shape.
5. Freeze until firm.

My Conclusion ~

It has a sweet taste, almost too sweet. It would be better if it were more tart. I'd also like a more intense cherry flavor, but I'm not sure how to accomplish that. Next time I'll add a lot more lemon juice, as black cherries tend to be very sweet. That would probably help with the overall taste. I over processed it as well, resulting in a fluffy texture (you can see that in the picture) which I don't really care for. I churned it for 30 minutes when I should have stopped at 20 minutes. The good news is that the agave nectar seems to have done the trick. It's soft enough to scoop right out of the container. It was okay, but nothing great.

Reviews ~

Only Little Chick & Toddler Chick would taste it and they both liked it.

Fresh Cherry Ice Cream

Fresh Cherry Ice Cream

3 1/2 cups cherries, with the pits removed

1 cup granulated sugar

2 cups heavy whipping cream

1. Cut the cherries in half and removed the pits.

2. Combine cherries and sugar in a blender. Puree until smooth.

3. Add cream to ice cream maker.

4. Start the ice cream maker and pour the cherry puree into the cream.

5. Churn for 20-30 minutes or until a firm soft-serve consistency.

6. Put into a freezer safe container and freeze for several hours.

My Conclusion

I started out by just copying Brown Chick's plum ice cream exactly, except for the cherries vs. plums of course. It turned out the cherries were much sweeter than the plums, so it was far too sweet. I added an additional 1 1/2 cups of cherries, and that balanced it fairly well, but I would probably use even less sugar if I did it again.

Reviews

Yellow Chick: I think it's pretty tasty, but could be a little more tart and a little less fluffy.
Mr. Yellow Chick: He liked the flavor a lot, but doesn't like how fluffy my ice cream always seems to turn out.