Rhubarb Sorbet
Rhubarb Sorbet is made with “the pie plant” and just enough sugar to highlight the special flavor of the rhubarb. It’s beautiful in it’s simplicity and it’s simply beautiful.
Just look at that color! No dyes were used in making this sorbet. That vibrant pink color is from the natural beauty of the rhubarb.
I love a good sorbet. Ice cream is wonderful, of course. But a good sorbet is refreshing and, if made well, will highlight great fruit flavor (or in this case vegetable flavor, since rhubarb is a veggie).
Most sorbets start from a base of fruit juice or pureed fruit. Whether you start with juice or puree, it won’t have any fat. Ice cream and frozen yogurt rely on dairy fat for a wonderfully creamy texture.
So, how do we prevent our sorbet from freezing rock hard? How do we make a creamy, scoopable sorbet without any fat? I’m glad you asked…
How to make Rhubarb Sorbet
- Start with frozen and defrosted rhubarb.
- Puree the rhubarb until it’s very soft.
- Strain the pureed rhubarb through cheesecloth to extract the juice.
- You’ll be left with just the rhubarb fiber. This can be composted.
- Measure the amount of rhubarb juice needed and the rest can be frozen.
- Heat the rhubarb juice with the sugar until the sugar is melted.
- Chill the rhubarb syrup until very cold.
- Run the rhubarb mixture in your ice cream machine according to the manufacturer’s directions.
- Transfer to a freezer container and freeze until firm.
FAQs about making Rhubarb Sorbet
Once again we turn to our fascinating friend, sugar, to give us a hand. As we learned in the Baking School post all about the science of sugar, sugar is much more than a simple sweetener.
Dissolved sugar molecules interfere with the crystallization (freezing) of water molecules. This reduces the freezing point of the water in the mix so it won’t freeze rock-solid. The partially unfrozen water will help keep the sorbet semi-solid rather than rock-solid, even after it is stored in the freezer. Without added sugar, we’d just be making a big rhubarb ice cube.
Because there’s very little natural sugar in the stalks, rhubarb is quite tart and needs a good amount of sugar to make it palatable as a dessert and to prevent overly crystalized sorbet.
You can adjust the sugar by an ounce or two, but don’t stray too far from the recipe. A proper balance of sugar to fruit is key to making a luscious sorbet.
Freezing the rhubarb helps break down the fiber in the stalks. The defrosted rhubarb breaks down very quickly and completely making it easier to strain the juice out.
I am obsessed with the unique flavor of rhubarb. You too? Here are a few more recipes for you to try:
- Classic Rhubarb Pie
- Rhubarb Crumb Pie
- Rhubarb Summer Pudding
- Rhubarb Crumb Cake
- Rhubarb Fritters
- Rhubarb Upside Down Cake
- Rhubarb Shortcakes
- Rhubarb Crumb Bars
- Rhubarb Meringue Tart
- Rhubarb Ice Cream
Here are some more sorbet recipes for you to try: Dark Chocolate Sorbet, Pineapple Rum Sorbet, Blackberry Sorbet, Fresh Melon, Caipirinha Sorbet.
If you love this recipe as much as I do, I’d really appreciate a 5-star review.
Rhubarb Sorbet Recipe
Ingredients
- 32 oz rhubarb (frozen and defrosted)
- 8 oz granulated sugar (1 cup )
Instructions
- In a food processor, puree the defrosted rhubarb for 4-5 minutes until it looks like applesauce. Strain the rhubarb through cheesecloth to remove the fiber. You should get 2 1/2 cups (20 oz, 600ml) juice. Any extra juice can be saved for another purpose or frozen. If you have less than 2 1/2 cups make up the difference with water.32 oz rhubarb
- Combine the rhubarb juice and sugar in a saucepan. Heat over medium high until the sugar is completely melted.8 oz granulated sugar
- Transfer the mixture to a bowl and cover. Cool to room temperature then refrigerate until the mix is very cold, at least 3-4 hours or overnight.
- Run in your ice cream machine according to the manufacturer's directions. (See note if you don't have an ice cream machine)
- Pack into a plastic container, cover the surface with plastic wrap, cover and freeze overnight
Equipment
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is the frozen rhubarb precooked or simply frozen fresh?
It’s frozen fresh. The freezer breaks down the fibers of the sorbet just like cooking does.
Our family loved using the farm rhubarb for this sorbet, thank you! It was mostly hands off time and quite tasty.