Making a sorbet by cooking or by pureeing the ingredients?
For a sorbet that contains a fruit, sugar, water and lime juice, i would like to know which is the best way to make this sorbet; by putting all the ingredients on heat until the fruits are very soft (and then put this mixture in the blender) or just by puree the ingredients in the blender until smooth?
What changes in each case?
Best Answer
There are a few things to consider here. Firstly, sugar dissolves in hot water better than in cold water. So, regardless of other considerations, it's worth making a simple syrup of the water and sugar.
What will change by heating is a few things. From a taste standpoint, depending on how you cook the fruit, the sorbet may taste "cooked". If that's the flavor you're looking for, cook away! However, "fresher" tasting sorbets are made by just pureeing (and straining). Cooking the fruit also stops oxidation (and discoloring) which happens with some fruits. On the other hand, the acidic lime juice will help prevent oxidation. Speaking of lime juice, if it's freshly-squeezed, a large component to its flavor are the volatile citrus oils. Cooking will likely cause these to evaporate, thereby losing some "citrusy" flavor (the acidity will remain, though).
From a texture standpoint it depends on a few things. Cooked fruit is usually softer; when pureed it will contribute towards a smoother texture. Additionally, many fruits contain pectin which is released when cooking. Pectin will contribute positively to the resulting texture of the sorbet. However, overcooking does degrade the pectin.
One way to get the best of both worlds is to gently poach the fruit in the simple syrup to soften it and release the pectin. (Alternatively, you can sous vide the fruit.) If you really want the "fresh" flavor (my preference) but want the benefit of pectin you can add a hydrocolloid thickener like xanthan gum or guar gum in a small amount (usually under 1% by weight).
Pictures about "Making a sorbet by cooking or by pureeing the ingredients?"
What is the process of making sorbet?
Sorbet in a Nutshell Sorbet is usually made with fruit and is almost always dairy- and fat-free, but the strictest definition is simply a syrup of sugar and water that's churned in an ice cream machine. That's it: you could make a sorbet with nothing but plain water and sugar.How do you make the perfect sorbet?
Keep in mind, fleshier/softer fruits (like mangos, peaches, berries) will yield softer sorbet, while fruits with a higher proportion of water (melons, grapes, citruses) will generally create a more firm texture. This can be adjusted with more sugar or by creating a blend of fruit, such as mango-orange!How do you make sorbet texture?
Glucose syrup, corn syrup, or invert sugar can improve the texture of the final sorbet, and also help to keep it from freezing solid. In these syrups, sucrose has been broken down into glucose and fructose. They have more body than simple syrup and resist crystallization.The Trick to Making the Perfect Sorbet - Kitchen Conundrums with Thomas Joseph
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Kampus Production, Kampus Production, Yan Krukov, Jorge Zapata