Chocolate Sorbet

-Yes, it is as rich as it looks.-

I like homemade ice cream. I enjoy creating and trying out new flavors that you might not otherwise be able to find at the store. However, I find them often to be too rich, or a bit to hectic to produce sometimes. It's why I prefer sorbet. Sorbet is easier to produce and takes so much less time. Heat up some water and sugar, add the flavor and chill. Pop in the ice cream machine and boom, 'yer done. No tempering eggs, and no trying to figure out what to do with all those egg whites. Furthermore, I find that I generally prefer the lighter and clearer taste of the ingredients you use in sorbet.

Normally, I make sorbet when I have an overabundance of fruit during the summer when turning on the stove sounds too heroic an effort for me to accomplish in my lazy summer sloth. Puree the fruit, pass it through a sieve, add a splash of brandy or vodka and add to the warmed sugar-water. Ta-da! Easy.

However, in early spring, when I eat fruit far too quickly to be able to produce a practical sorbet, I like to rely on this little chocolate sorbet recipe. I actually prefer this over chocolate ice cream as I find the chocolate is much more intense when it doesn't have to compete with yolks and cream for flavor. It utilizes ingredients I - and I assume every avid home baker - has on hand, meaning it's a simple, practical frozen treat. Furthermore, this sorbet never gives me texture problems; it never crystallizes into a rock, even after a week in the freezer as most homemade ice creams and sorbets have a tendency to do. Complimented with some chopped mint and strawberries it's a perfect sorbet for the hotter days ahead.

-If you don't have an ice cream maker, then just toss it into a shallow tray, freeze and stir up the crystals every so often until you reach a good consistency.-

Chocolate Sorbet
Adapted from Jaime Oliver

75g cocoa powder
300g sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
45g of peanut butter (organic works best)
300g chocolate (60%-70% cacao), broken into pieces

Pour 750ml water into a small saucepan with cocoa, sugar, vanilla extract and peanut butter. Bring to a boil while whisking then remove from heat. Add chocolate and a pinch of salt and leave for a minute, then stir until chocolate has melted and you have a glossy mixture. Cool in the fridge for four hours or overnight and then transfer to an ice-cream mixture per the manufacturer's instructions.

-A slight bit of peanut butter is what gives this chocolate sorbet such a creamy texture.-