Signature Recipes

Rarely found in ice cream parlors or supermarket freezer compartments, chocolate sorbet is one of the great secret treasures of frozen desserts.

This recipe, from Ice Cream: The Ultimate Cold Comfort (Brick Tower Press, New York), by Jeri Quinzio, combines chocolate and cocoa to give the rich mouth-feel of chocolate ice cream, without milk or cream. Cinnamon and cloves add a spicy kick, but purists can just leave them out.

Jeri Quinzio is a freelance writer from Boston who specializes in food and food history. Ice Cream: The Ultimate Cold Comfort, includes dozens of recipes for frozen desserts – ranging from Cardamom Orange ice cream to Sparkling Slush – along with sauces and serving suggestions.

Chocolate Sorbet
Makes one quart

3 cups water
1 cup of sugar
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cloves
1 two-inch strip lemon peel
1 egg white

1. Combine water and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves.

2. Add chocolate and cocoa, stir to melt chocolate and blend in cocoa.

3. Bring the mixture to the point of boiling, but don’t let it boil.

4. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla, cinnamon, cloves and lemon peel.

5. Let the flavors infuse, stirring occasionally, as the mixture cools. Then strain into a clean bowl.

6. Cover with plastic wrap pressed against the surface, and chill for several hours or overnight.

7. When you’re ready to freeze the sorbet, whisk the egg white lightly and set aside.

8. Pour the sorbet mixture into your ice cream maker and churn, following manufacturer’s instructions.

9. When it’s nearly done, whisk egg white until it’s frothy and mix in.

10. Store tightly covered in container in your freezer.

Edited by Patricia D. Sherman