Vodka Grapefruit Sorbet
When I was pregnant, one of the things I craved constantly was grapefruit juice. We went through gallons of it. I couldn’t get enough.
I was a little surprised the other day when I was in Whole Foods and walked by the juice and picked up a carton of grapefruit juice-it just looked so good to me. I don’t know why, I know for a fact I’m not pregnant (TMI?).
Since I’m typically not a juice drinker, I had one glass and realized there was no way this carton was going to be finished. So I remembered my previously neglected ice cream maker, and thought this was a perfect opportunity to use it again (by the way, with my new books, it’s going to be getting a lot of use, and I’m going to be sharing)!
A lot of the recipes I came across called for food coloring which I thought was ridiculous. I chose this one because it didn’t call for anything artificial, and it had vodka. I liked the idea of vodka, not as a way to get an easy buzz, but because I was curious to see how this would affect the freezing of the sorbet. Since alcohol doesn’t freeze, I was curious what kind of texture this sorbet would have once it came out of the freezer.
Yes, I’m a dork.
No, I don’t believe in cheap vodka.
This came from the Food Network website and was so simple it’s laughable. Here’s what you need:
- 1/3 cup water
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 3 cups strained grapefruit juice
- 3 tbsp. vodka
Combine the water and sugar over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. This is your simple syrup. Allow it to cool, then add your grapefruit juice and vodka. Put in your ice cream maker and freeze according to the instructions. THAT’S IT!
I was surprised that the alcohol didn’t really affect how it froze. It was really soft right out of the ice cream machine, and had to be softened just out of the freezer. In a way, it was more like a granita than sorbet, but it was delicious. Light and fresh, and made me feel like summer was just around the corner. The vodka was subtle, and the grapefruit taste was strong. It wasn’t too sweet, and made for the perfect dessert. Who needs stuff in a carton anyway?
Do you like sorbet? What’s your favorite flavor?
Any fun weekend plans coming up?
This looks fabulous, and with the potato vodka it’s both dairy free and kosher for passover – perfect for dessert after one of the seders!
I love sorbet! Any flavor really. And I love gelato – the best place is Napoli Pastry in the North End. I love that your sorbet recipe uses vodka. That is my kind of sorbet
Very cool. (Literally!) I’ve never made my own ice cream before.