Freezing Fruit Sorbet

Asked by nanathome. Answered on 8th August 2021

Full question

I made the Redcurrant Sorbet without alcohol. And I followed the instructions for the ice cream maker to prepare a fruit sorbet. I transferred the sorbet from the machine to the freezer to freeze it. After a few hours, I noted that it is on the soft side. Can the soft sorbet be returned to the ice cream maker for further churning and then refreezing?

Redcurrant Slush Sorbet

By Nigella

Our answer

Fruit sorbets, such as Nigella's Redcurrant Slush Sorbet (from NIGELLA SUMMER) are a mixture of fresh fruit puree and sugar syrup. Alcohol added to a sorbet or ice cream will make it softer as it reduces the freezing point of the mixture.

However, the amount of sugar in the sorbet will also affect the texture and how firmly the sorbet freezes. Nigella's recipe has a high ratio of sugar to fruit and this is intentional, so that the sorbet remains soft even when frozen. For a firmer sorbet the sugar would need to be reduced and usually you would have around ⅓ of the amount of sugar vs fruit, though we have not tried this proportion for the redcurrant sorbet. Unfortunately, re-churning a sorbet won't make it any firmer but you need to leave it for at least 3 hours in the freezer for it to firm up more, and preferably overnight.