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Tangerine Sorbet

Posted by Elise on Jan 10, 2009

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Winter is the season for tangerines and other mandarin oranges. There's something wonderfully comforting about enjoying a big bowl of ripe, juicy, sweet mandarins in the middle of dismal, dreary winter. Walking around the neighborhood, oranges stand out like light bulbs against their bushy green trees among most of the other trees, now skeletal from the cold. If you love the flavor of tangerines as much as I do, mandarins are available by the box load at most markets, and Odwalla makes an excellent fresh tangerine juice that you can only buy now, during winter. Either makes a refreshing, light sorbet. Homemade ice creams and sorbets tend to be icy, because they don't have the stabilizers in them that commercial products have. So, they usually need to be eaten the day they are made, unless you add alcohol or corn syrup to them to help keep them smooth for a day or two more (they will eventually get icy). In this case, I couldn't think of any alcohol to add that wouldn't detract from the tangerine flavor, so I added a tablespoon of corn syrup (could add more), which helped to keep it from being too icy the next day. Still, it was better the first day, and more snow-like the second.

Tangerine Sorbet Recipe

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Ingredients

3 cups fresh tangerine juice (or juice from mandarin oranges)
3 Tbsp lemon juice
3/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp corn syrup (optional)

Method

1 Pour tangerine juice through a fine mesh sieve into a large bowl. Use a rubber spatula to press as much juice as you can through the sieve, discard remaining pulp.

2 Add lemon juice, sugar, and (optional) corn syrup to the bowl. Stir with a spoon until the sugar has completely dissolved.

3 Process in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions.

Serve immediately, or chill for a few hours. Best eaten the day it's made.

Makes a little less than one quart.

Indexed: Mandarin Orange, Sorbet, Tangerine

33 Comments

"Tangerine, she is all they claim. With her eyes of night and lips as bright as flame..." - Francis Albert Sinatra, 1962

My Mom would play that song over and over and over and...

You don't think a quick shot of a neutral, high-quality vodka might work with this? Kinda like a Screwdriver Sorbet?

Time to drag out the KitchenAid freeze bowl :p

Posted by: jonathan on January 11, 2009 6:16 AM

Sensational colours! I just made a tangerine, golden pineapple and cardamom-mint fruit salad. So fresh and delicious!

Posted by: Dana McCauley on January 11, 2009 7:15 AM

The image alone made my mouth water and I swear I can taste it right this minute.

Posted by: Mari on January 11, 2009 8:51 AM

This sounds great. I love the dishes in the picture.

The corn syrup really kept the texture of the cranberry sorbet you posted before nice. I plan to use that in my other sorbets.

Posted by: Sara on January 11, 2009 8:55 AM

Amazing. Simply Amazing.

Posted by: Anna on January 11, 2009 8:57 AM

Beautiful picture, Elise!

Thanks Taiyyaba! ~Elise

Posted by: taiyyaba on January 11, 2009 9:39 AM

I would think a shot of absolute citron or even X-Rated vodka would go well. X-Rated is grapefruit flavored.

Posted by: cookin@home on January 11, 2009 9:42 AM

Regarding the addition of alcohol, I would try mixing some with tangerine juice to see what it tastes like un-churned first, and if the taste works for you, go for it. Vodka might work. If you eat it the same day you make it though, you don't need to add any alcohol to it.

Posted by: Elise on January 11, 2009 9:48 AM

A sorbet is great between courses to refresh the palate. The best I ever had was a tomato sorbet - people always forget that tomato is a fruit and can be used as such!

Posted by: Scott at Realepicurean on January 11, 2009 10:44 AM

Unless the sorbet is to be served to people who do not drink alcohol, I always use one or two tablespoons of quality liqueur, either with a complimentary flavor (kirsch with cherry sorbet; triple sec with orange; limoncello with lemon etc) or plain vodka. Works very well. This allows me to make lots sorbets in summer when summer fruit are abundant and full of flavor, and eat them weeks or even months later (my little stash of frozen treats, you know, for when a I need a little vitamin boost in the dark of winter...).

Posted by: Sylvie, Rappahannock Cook & Kitchen Gardener on January 11, 2009 10:45 AM

During my aunt's last couple of months, the only food she consistently had a desire to eat was lemon sorbet. I think she would have been even happier to have a bowl of this! This sounds especially appealing this weekend, since we're having a Santa Ana condition right now, and it's 78° and dry here in San Diego.

Posted by: Marjy on January 11, 2009 2:12 PM

This looks refreshing! I have been wanting to make sorbet lately so I think I will give this one a try. Thanks.

Posted by: Eliza Domestica on January 11, 2009 3:03 PM

I have a ton of tangelos from the holidays- I would assume I could use them as well. I love sorbet, even when it is cold!

Posted by: Deborah Dowd on January 11, 2009 3:11 PM

Thanks for the recipe. I have a tangerine tree and it's overflowing with tangerines, so I've been looking for ways to use the fruit.

Posted by: Cynthia on January 11, 2009 7:50 PM

I crave citrus this time of year. I just bought a bag of blood oranges last week and want to make a sorbet to serve alongside a flourless chocolate cake. Your sorbet looks fabulous!

Posted by: Eileen on January 12, 2009 5:33 AM

I love that this is so easy to make and I can't think of a better flavor to try than tangerines!

Posted by: Tabitha (From Single to Married) on January 12, 2009 6:47 AM

Looks delicious. I just churned yet another batch of pomegranate sorbet. I'm going to try this next. Do you think Cointreau will work nicely? Since it is orange flavored, it might not detract from the tangerine flavor too much... Thanks for the recipe!

Posted by: Cenk on January 12, 2009 6:57 AM

I've been thinking of dusting off the ice cream machine and giving it a spin. It usually hibernates during the winter months. This recipe is certainly enticing me further. And that photo at the top is simply stunning. Love it.

Posted by: alina on January 12, 2009 1:55 PM

Great color! Just the super refreshing treat I'm craving just about now!

Posted by: lisa (dandysugar) on January 12, 2009 2:06 PM

One of my favorite palate cleanser is a small scoop of raspberry sorbet with cranberry juice and a crushed mint leaf. Love it! I just crush the mint leaf with half a tsp of sugar. Put the small scoop of raspberry sorbet in the glass with the crushed mint and then add enough cranberry juice to go half way up the sorbet.

I would imagine it would work with almost any berry sorbet as well. Your mouth will thank you.

Posted by: dick on January 12, 2009 5:10 PM

Does this recipe work with any citrus? Lemons? Clementines?

With lemons I would use Meyer lemons (see our Meyer lemon sorbet, and yes clementines should work as is. We use grapefruit juice in our champagne sorbet. ~Elise

Posted by: Mickey on January 12, 2009 5:36 PM

Hi... this looks awesome. I'll have to try when my mandarins ripen.

I've used a raw egg mixed in to keep a sorbet smooth and prevent iciness (in that case it was a raspberry sorbet). it seemed strange at the time, but it worked and didn't detract from the flavor.

Posted by: imran on January 12, 2009 7:27 PM

What a beautiful photo! Looks almost like an egg, sunny-side up.

Posted by: Jesse Gardner on January 13, 2009 11:17 AM

I am going to try this! I have had the ice cream maker for my Kitchen Aid mixer for awhile and haven't had the time and patience to use it much.

I may use agave nectar instead of corn syrup.

Posted by: Hope on January 13, 2009 12:26 PM

Despite my famous dislike of orange, I do rather enjoy tangerines. Why? Cuz I'm weird. Anyway, I'll have to try this!

Posted by: Sean on January 13, 2009 2:15 PM

Your photo is beautiful. Those colors are just stunning. I'm so happy you included the David Lebovitz link. I was bummed that I don't have an ice cream maker and I really want to make this. I'm assuming the same technique he uses for ice cream will apply to this sorbet.

Posted by: Madeline on January 13, 2009 2:40 PM

Citrus is really popping up everywhere here now. Tangerines, clementines, blood oranges, grapefruit.... What a delicious way to highlight their inherent beauty and flavor.

Posted by: Susan from Food Blogga on January 13, 2009 4:02 PM

Elise,

I love your blog. It's a favorite of mine and this looks like a great recipe! Yum.

Elana

Posted by: Elana on January 13, 2009 10:23 PM

I made sorbet for the first time last week. It was so easy and good! This sounds like another one!

Posted by: Rebecca Reid on January 14, 2009 9:29 AM

Try Grappa another neutral spirit. Nice recipe with beautiful photo.

Posted by: Carolyn Kumpe on January 15, 2009 8:41 AM

I tried your Cranberry Sorbet over Christmas and it was a huge hit. Everyone preferred it to traditionsl Christmas desserts. So I thought I would try this Tangerine Sorbet for a dinner party and again, a sensational hit. These are the lightest and tasty desserts and everyone is happy with just one small scoop because they are so tasty!

Posted by: Diane on January 16, 2009 12:57 AM

Oh - I can almost taste that!! Such a gorgeous colour too.

Posted by: Jeanne on January 19, 2009 10:26 AM

Oh My - is this good! I took your advice and used the Odwalla Tangerine juice - you never know what you're getting with fresh tangerines.
Publish more ice cream and sorbet recipes!

Posted by: John Kaay on February 2, 2009 1:09 AM

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Tangerine Sorbet Recipe