Content
Sorbet is a dessert made from juice or puree made from fruits or berries. In the classic version of preparation, the fruit and berry mass is completely frozen in the freezer and served in ice cream bowls. If not completely frozen, it can be consumed as a cold, refreshing drink. Preparing dessert is not difficult; for example, any housewife can prepare blackcurrant sorbet at home.
Beneficial properties of currant sorbet
Black currant is known as one of the most vitamin-rich and even healing berries in folk medicine. It contains especially a lot of ascorbic acid, only rose hips contain more. Just 2 dozen fruits are enough to meet the body’s daily need for this substance. Since the berries are not subjected to heat treatment, all the vitamins in them are completely preserved. This is an undoubted advantage of sorbet prepared at home.
Due to its high vitamin content, it is useful to consume it in spring and autumn. Black currant contains valuable organic acids, essential oils, phytoncides, and mineral elements.
If you eat black currant quite often, it will increase the hemoglobin content, tones the body, and normalizes metabolism. Berries and their juice act as a mild sedative, normalize sleep, help relieve nervous tension, and restore strength in case of physical and mental fatigue. Fresh fruits have a pronounced anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic effect. Black currant supports the functioning of the heart, makes blood vessels elastic, stimulates brain activity, and strengthens memory.
Homemade currant sorbet recipes
To prepare sorbet you will need fresh ripe blackcurrants, sugar and water (it is better to take well water, filtered in household filters or bottled). These are the main components that are included in the simple classic recipe, but you can also add other berries and fruits to the currants. Because of this, the taste and properties of the dessert will change.
A simple recipe for blackcurrant sorbet
The ingredients that will be needed to prepare sorbet according to the classic recipe at home are in the kitchen of every housewife.
You will need:
- black currant – 0.9 kg;
- granulated sugar – 0.3 kg;
- water – 1 glass;
- lemon – 0.5 pcs.
You can take less or more sugar, depending on your taste preferences.
How to cook:
- Sort the berries, remove all sepals, and rinse under running water.
- Leave for 5 minutes until it drains.
- Grind the fruits in a blender until smooth.
- Add sugar, water and half a lemon cut into pieces. Grind again in a blender.
- Place the cup with the berry mixture in the freezer compartment of the refrigerator.
Freezing sorbet at home lasts at least 8-10 hours; during this time, the workpiece must be stirred every hour so that it freezes evenly, becomes loose and airy.
Blackcurrant, raspberry and blueberry sorbet with wine
You will need:
- fruits of currants, raspberries and blueberries - 150 g each;
- homemade red wine – 0.5-1 cup;
- granulated sugar – 150 g.
The berries should be ripe or slightly underripe, but not overripe.
How to cook:
- Grind the clean fruits in a blender.
- Add wine and sugar to them, grind again. You need so much wine that the consistency of the mass resembles thick sour cream.
- Place the fruits in small portions in food containers and refrigerate.
- Freeze for 8-10 hours.
When serving sorbet, you can garnish each serving with a few frozen berries.
Blackcurrant sorbet with cream
Usually water is used to prepare sorbet at home, but to improve the taste you can replace it with full-fat milk or cream. Now the dessert will taste more like ice cream.
You will need:
- black currant berries – 200 g;
- cream – 100 ml;
- sugar – 150 g;
- a few sprigs of fresh mint or lemon balm.
How to cook:
- Sort through the black berries, remove all crushed, green, and spoiled ones.
- Rinse them in cold running water.
- Grind in a blender or grind in a meat grinder. If you want the mass to be without pieces of skins, it must be rubbed through a sieve.
- Pour cream into it and add sugar. Stir everything well.
- Place the product in the freezer of the refrigerator for at least 8 hours.
Serve on small saucers or in special ice cream bowls.
Redcurrant sorbet
Instead of black currants, you can make this dessert from red currants. The composition and principle of preparation will not change.
You will need:
- berries – 300 g;
- sugar – 100 g;
- water – 75 ml.
If more of the finished product is needed, then the quantity of all ingredients should be increased proportionally.
How to cook:
- Wash the peeled currants and dry them a little, placing them on a towel.
- Grind in a blender.
- Pour cold water into the mixture and add sugar.
- Mix until smooth and place in plastic containers.
- Place in the freezer for 8 hours.
When the sorbet freezes well, you can serve it to the table.
Calorie content
The calorie content of black and red currants, like other berries, is small (only 44 kcal), but due to the use of sugar, the nutritional value of sorbet increases and averages 119 kcal per 100 g. This volume contains 27 g of carbohydrates, 0.7 g protein and 0.1 g fat. This cannot be said to be a high indicator, so everyone can eat the dessert, even those who are watching their figure.
Terms and conditions of storage
Like regular ice cream, you only need to store sorbet at home in the freezer. Moreover, at a temperature no higher than -18°C. It will be able to lie in the cold without losing its consumer properties for a month and a half. If stored on the refrigerator shelf, the sorbet will melt quickly.
Conclusion
It is not difficult to prepare blackcurrant sorbet at home, not only in the summer, when the berries are being harvested, but at any time of the year. To do this, you just need to process and freeze them, and slightly defrost them shortly before cooking. The taste and quality will not change because of this. Canned berries or jam are not suitable for making sorbet.
