Fruit Sorbet

Frozen orange juice concentrate is the under-the-radar move that makes this sorbet work. Concentrated juice has more sugar and orange flavor packed into less liquid than fresh-squeezed, which means a more intense fruit flavor and a smoother freeze without ice crystals.

The simple syrup (water cooked with sugar) is the right way to sweeten sorbet. Granulated sugar dropped straight into cold juice never fully dissolves, leaving you with a gritty texture, but cooking it into syrup first means the sugar is already integrated.

Fresh orange zest is the move that takes this from juice concentrate to actual orange sorbet. The fragrant oils in the peel are what say “fresh fruit” to your tongue, even when the juice in the recipe came out of a freezer can.

Pro Tips

• Cool the simple syrup completely before adding the orange juice concentrate, hot syrup melts the concentrate and starts the sugar crystallizing.
• Use a microplane for the zest, large strips of peel feel like getting a piece of skin in your spoon.
• Pre-chill the ice cream maker bowl overnight, warm bowls produce gritty sorbet.
• Eat within a week, sorbet hardens to ice-block consistency in the freezer over time.

Variations

• Sub frozen lemonade or limeade concentrate for orange juice for a sharper, more tart sorbet.
• Add a tablespoon of vodka or Cointreau before churning, the alcohol prevents over-freezing and adds adult complexity.
• Stir in fresh raspberries or blueberries during the last 5 minutes of churning for a fruit-flecked variation.