Chocolate Sorbet with Warm Salted Dates

by Rawaan Alkhatib, featured in Hot Date!

Published by Chronicle Books

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Introduction

A very rich, very intense delivery mechanism for dark chocolate, this sorbet cuts out anything that might distract from the chocolate itself, omitting the muffling effect of eggs and cream and keeping the focus squarely on the cacao. Use the best cocoa powder and chocolate you can get your hands on, as there isn’t anything for the chocolate to hide behind. I love to serve little scoops of this at the end of a rich meal, along with a similarly sized cup of espresso or Turkish coffee for each guest.

As with the other very chocolate-forward recipes in this chapter of the book, dates are the backup dancers to chocolate’s Beyoncé: think of the date molasses as a flavor enhancer, not the star of the show. That said, if you are making this in early autumn, when rutab dates are in season, try folding them directly into the just-churned ice cream for a luscious ready-to-go date ripple. I also highly recommend serving this with the optional Warm Salted Dates (recipe below), which act like a sort of super-charged hot fudge — try tumbling a few chewy dates in their oil over a scoop of sorbet and thank me later.

If you don’t have an ice cream maker (or, uh, forgot to freeze the cylinder in time), don’t worry: this also makes a luscious chocolate pudding. Pour it into little cups, like shot glasses or tea cups, and let set overnight in the refrigerator. Top with crème fraîche and a little cracked cardamom, and serve with your tiniest spoons.

Last, but not least, this sorbet is also mind-blowing as part of an ice cream sundae: top with warmed dates, slightly overwhipped cream, salted and deeply toasted chopped almonds, and, of course, a cherry on top.

For US measures and ingredient names, use the toggle at the top of the ingredients list.

As featured in

Hot Date!

Image of Rawaan Alkhatib's Chocolate Sorbet with Warm Salted Dates — Photo by Linda Xiao

Ingredients

Yields: about 2pt/940g

Metric U.S.

CHOCOLATE SORBET

¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
½ cup sugar
½ cup date molasses
¼ teaspoon salt
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate (finely chopped)
½ teaspoon instant coffee (optional)
½ teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
Big pinch of flaky salt

WARM SALTED DATES

2 soft and yielding dates (like juicy Medjools, not hard Sukkaris or Deglet Nours) per serving
½ tablespoon per serving good olive, pumpkin seed, pecan, or walnut oil
flaky salt

CHOCOLATE SORBET

60 grams unsweetened cocoa powder
100 grams sugar
120 millilitres date molasses
¼ teaspoon salt
225 grams bittersweet chocolate (finely chopped)
½ teaspoon instant coffee (optional)
½ teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
Big pinch of flaky salt

WARM SALTED DATES

2 soft and yielding dates (like juicy Medjools, not hard Sukkaris or Deglet Nours) per serving
½ tablespoon per serving good olive, pumpkin seed, pecan, or walnut oil
flaky salt

Method

Chocolate Sorbet with Warm Salted Dates is a guest recipe by Rawaan Alkhatib so we are not able to answer questions regarding this recipe

For the Chocolate Sorbet:

In a large pot set over medium-high heat, whisk 1½ cups [360 ml] of water with the cocoa powder, sugar, date molasses, and salt. Bring to a boil, whisking frequently, then continue whisking for 1 minute more. Remove from the heat, and stir in the chopped chocolate. Let stand, undisturbed, for a full minute, then stir in the instant coffee powder (if using), vanilla (if using), and 1 cup [240 ml] of water. Use an immersion blender to blend the mixture in the pot until silky smooth. If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can use a regular blender or a hand whisk. Chill the mixture in the refrigerator until it is completely cold, at least 3 hours and preferably overnight.
Just before you churn the ice cream, give it another good whisk to get it aerated and fluid again — I like to use an immersion blender at this point to ensure the smoothest texture, but it isn’t a necessary step. Transfer the mixture to an ice cream maker and freeze according to the machine’s instructions. Serve plain, with a spoonful of whipped cream or crème fraîche, or with the warm salted dates that follow. Either way, do not skimp on the flaky salt as a final finish.

For the Warm Salted Dates

For one portion - multiplies easily:

Halve and pit each date, then heat up a skillet and drizzle in half a tablespoon of oil per serving. When the oil is just warm, place the dates, cut-side down, in the skillet and gently heat them just enough to warm the dates and coax out the flavor of the oil, not kill it. Remove from the heat and sprinkle with a delicate large-flake salt, such as Maldon. Top each serving of ice cream with the still-warm dates and then drizzle over the flavored oil, adding more salt if needed.

For the Chocolate Sorbet:

In a large pot set over medium-high heat, whisk 1½ cups [360 ml] of water with the cocoa powder, sugar, date molasses, and salt. Bring to a boil, whisking frequently, then continue whisking for 1 minute more. Remove from the heat, and stir in the chopped chocolate. Let stand, undisturbed, for a full minute, then stir in the instant coffee powder (if using), vanilla (if using), and 1 cup [240 ml] of water. Use an immersion blender to blend the mixture in the pot until silky smooth. If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can use a regular blender or a hand whisk. Chill the mixture in the refrigerator until it is completely cold, at least 3 hours and preferably overnight.
Just before you churn the ice cream, give it another good whisk to get it aerated and fluid again — I like to use an immersion blender at this point to ensure the smoothest texture, but it isn’t a necessary step. Transfer the mixture to an ice cream maker and freeze according to the machine’s instructions. Serve plain, with a spoonful of whipped cream or crème fraîche, or with the warm salted dates that follow. Either way, do not skimp on the flaky salt as a final finish.

For the Warm Salted Dates

For one portion - multiplies easily:

Halve and pit each date, then heat up a skillet and drizzle in half a tablespoon of oil per serving. When the oil is just warm, place the dates, cut-side down, in the skillet and gently heat them just enough to warm the dates and coax out the flavor of the oil, not kill it. Remove from the heat and sprinkle with a delicate large-flake salt, such as Maldon. Top each serving of ice cream with the still-warm dates and then drizzle over the flavored oil, adding more salt if needed.