Delicious Pineapple Sherbet (without an ice cream maker!)

Both are made with fruit and sugar yet what differentiates them is that sherbets contain milk or some sort of dairy product similar to ice cream but in a much lower percentage. Sorbets do not contain dairy, making it perfect for the lactose intolerant ;)

The department most of us fail in is getting “scoopable” sherbet. By messing around with the following key points, “scoopable” is no more impossible

1. Air incorporation/viscosity - the more air you whip into the mix the weaker the frozen ice matrix and the softer and smoother it turns out.

2. Freezing point depression- trying to get a portion of the water to never freeze is one of the key factors in making an icy treat. Freezing point depressors commonly used is sugar and alcohol (vodka, etc)

3. Emulsification- only applies to products with cream in them (ice cream, sherbets, etc). Fat globules are suspended in pockets of water. The larger the globule, the bigger the pocket leaving us with larger ice crystals (grainy feeling). 

Ok so my sherbet is scoopable, is it going to last endlessly in my freezer like the commercial stuff? Without the commercial stabilizers (i.e cellulose gell, cellulose gum, mono and diglycerides, and lactitol) getting your sherbet to stay without a change in texture is going to be tougher. If you can get a hold of stabilizers or substitutes, then go ahead and experiment!

Lastly, using an ice cream maker is of course going to yield better texture and consistency, but making sherbet manually is not impossible either (it just requires more effort!)

• 300g tinned pineapple + 1/8 cup of syrup from the tin OR 1 ½ cup pure pineapple juice without added sugar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2/3 cup plain milk
• 1 tsp gelatin
• 1/8 cups water
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp vodka
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 1/3 cup evaporated milk (non sweetened)

1. Blend the tinned pineapple together with the 1/8 cup of saved liquid. Strain the mixture and you should get at least 1 ½ cups of pineapple juice OR use pure pineapple juice without added sugar

2. Heat the sugar with 1/3 cup of milk until it dissolves. Do not boil!

3. Mix 1 tsp gelatin with 1/8 cup of water until it dissolves.

4. Add the heated milk and sugar to the gelatin, then add that to the pineapple juice together with the other 1/3 cup of milk.

5. Throw in the vodka, lemon juice and vanilla to the mixture above. Stir well.

6. Place the mixture in a flat container, cover and freeze for 45 mins.

7. Remove from freezer and “fluff” up the frozen mixture with a fork or blend it for better results. At this point it should be slushy and beginning to freeze at the sides but not totally frozen yet. Return to freezer again.

8. Take out the mixture every hour for the next 3 hours to fluff it up again. On the 3rd time place it in a blender, add the 1/3 cup of evaporated milk. Blend really well till smooth and place in the freezer again.

9. When the lovely sherbet is frozen and ready to eat, remove it for 5 minutes and leave to stand. Then scoop, serve and enjoy!

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