Cactus Honey Sherbet
Submitted by gpgruver
Cactus honey sherbet swirls magenta prickly pear juice with peeled peaches, wildflower honey, lemon, and a fold of whipped cream for a Southwestern frozen dessert that lands somewhere between sorbet and ice cream.
YIELD
8 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
15 minREADY
380 minCactus honey sherbet pulls its electric pink color and faintly watermelon-like flavor straight from prickly pear, the fruit of the Sonoran cactus. Wildflower honey, ripe peaches, and a generous pour of fresh lemon juice round it into something tart and floral rather than cloying.
A single envelope of unflavored gelatin does the quiet work here. It keeps ice crystals fine and gives the finished sherbet that scoopable, almost taffy-like pull instead of the brittle shatter of a straight sorbet.
Folding in whipped cream at the end is what tips this from sherbet toward something closer to a semifreddo: lighter, creamier, and more forgiving if you don’t own an ice cream maker.
Pro Tips
- Score an X in the bottom of each peach before the boiling-water dunk. The skins peel off in clean strips with no fruit waste.
- Wear gloves when handling raw prickly pear. The fine glochid spines are nearly invisible and miserable in fingertips.
- The mid-freeze beating step is what kills graininess. Don’t skip it, even if the mixture looks slushy and stubborn.
Variations
- Swap peaches for ripe mango or apricot for a deeper orange hue and tropical edge.
- Add a splash of tequila blanco (about a tablespoon) before the final freeze for a paleta-style adult version that stays softer.
- Skip the cream and replace with full-fat coconut milk for a dairy-free version with a subtle tropical undertone.
Ingredients
Directions
Plunge the peaches into a large pot of boiling water for one minute; using a slotted spoon, transfer them immediately to a large bowl of cold water.
The skins should slip off easily. Slice the peaches.
There should be about 1½ cups.
Sprinkle gelatin over the ¼ cup of cold water in a small bowl.
Set aside.
Combine 1 cup prickly pear juice with peach slices and prickly pear pieces in a medium saucepan.
Simmer over low heat for five minutes.
Turn off the heat under the fruit and strain off 1 cup of juice.
In a small saucepan, combine the juice and honey and cook gently just at a simmer for eight minutes.
Add the softened gelatin and lemon juice to the honey mixture and stir until gelatin is dissolved.
Purée the fruit and remaining juice in a blender.
Combine with the gelatin and honey mixture and freeze in a bread pan or similar container.
When nearly hard, remove from freezer, transfer to a bowl, and beat with an electric mixer.
Beat the whipping cream until stiff and fold into the fruit mixture.
Return to the bread pan.
Refreeze until firm.
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