Dark chocolate sorbet recipe
Paul says that he was driven to create this dark chocolate delight after eating poor quality chocolate ice cream. This is what a frozen chocolate dessert should really taste like. It's so creamy, you won't believe there's not actually any cream in it.
"It was 1980, we were having Sunday lunch at my Grandma’s house, and were all full to bursting after many Yorkshire puddings. But, as anyone who knows me well will know, I have a separate stomach when it comes to desserts. On that day it was Neapolitan ice cream, consisting of layers of chocolate, strawberry and vanilla ice cream – lovely, except for the chocolate ice cream.
To this day I am still not a big fan, as it doesn’t usually taste of chocolate at all, and is often more like a bitter, powdery and artificially flavoured frozen milkshake.
So I set out to find an alternative that did taste of chocolate, and had the colour and intensity of dark chocolate without the bitterness. This recipe is smooth, rich and dairy-free, and is amazing on its own.
Alternatively, try adding different liqueurs, herbs or spices such as chilli or cinnamon."
If you don't have an ice cream machine, don't worry. Skip step 3 and move straight to step 4. Skip step 4 & 5 if using an ice cream machine.
Ingredients
- 150 g golden caster sugar
- 50 g glucose syrup
- 30 g cocoa powder
- 150 g 70% dark chocolate, broken into pieces
- 50 ml alcohol such as Grand Marnier, Cognac or rum
Details
- Cuisine: English
- Recipe Type: Dessert
- Difficulty: Medium
- Preparation Time: 35 mins
- Cooking Time: 45 mins
- Serves: 4
Step-by-step
- Bring 500ml water to the boil in a saucepan, then add the sugar, glucose syrup and cocoa powder and simmer for 3 minutes.
- Pour over the chocolate in a bowl and mix well. Allow to cool for 15 minutes, then add the alcohol, if using.
- Once it has thoroughly cooled, churn the mixture in an ice cream machine until smooth and silky.
- If you do not have an ice-cream maker, then place a freezer-proof container in the deep freeze for 30 minutes.
- Add the sorbet liquid, freeze for 30 minutes, then mix well with a fork or whisk. Repeat this process until you have a smooth, silky and frozen sorbet.
- The sorbet can be stored for up to a month in the freezer.
Adventures with Chocolate by Paul A. Young is published by Kyle Books, priced £14.99. Photography by Anders Schonnemann.
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