David Lebovitz's Chocolate Sorbet
Sprinkle with flaky sea salt and dig in -- all summer long!
Begin with 6 ounces of bittersweet or semisweet chocolate.
And, finely chop it up into bits!
In a large saucepan, add your sugar.
And your cocoa powder, salt, and water.
Now, whisk!
Bring the mixture to a boil and whisk some more.
Now, it's time to remove the mixture from the heat and stir in your finely chopped chocolate.
Don't forget a teaspoon of vanilla and the remaining 3/4 cup of water.
Time to blend.
Then, let it chill.
Once it has chilled thoroughly, freeze the dark chocolate mixture according to the manufacturer's instructions.
Watch as it turns into sorbet.
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Author Notes: Despite having no dairy or eggs, this sorbet is impossibly creamy. It also remains perfectly scoopable without going hard or icy in the slightest, even after several days in the freezer. Lebovitz credits this remarkable consistency to the high proportion of bittersweet chocolate. Recipe from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz (Ten Speed Press, 2007) - Genius Recipes
Makes about 1 quart (1 liter)
- 2 1/4 cups (555 ml) water
- 1 cup (200 g) sugar
- 3/4 cups (75 g) unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
- Pinch of salt
- 6 ounces (170 g) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- In a large saucepan, whisk together 1 1/2 cups (375 ml) of the water with the sugar, cocoa powder, and salt. Bring to a boil whisking frequently. Let it boil, continuing to whisk for 45 seconds.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the chocolate until it's melted, then stir in the vanilla extract and the remaining 3/4 cup (180 ml) water. Transfer the mixture to a blender and blend for 15 seconds. Chill the mixture thoroughly, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. If the mixture has become too thick to pour into your machine, whisk it vigorously to thin it out.
- This recipe is a Community Pick!
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about 1 month ago shoka2005
I don't have ice cream machine
could you tell me what to do in this condtion ,please ?
3 months ago belby0
This was so unbelievably good it prompted me to buy his book, The Perfect Scoop!
3 months ago lisabu
I couldn't believe i'd like a chocolate sorbet but this is divine. Made it with Guittard Cocoa Rouge and Scharfenberger chocolate. Served with Alice Medrich's coconut macaroons for Passover.
4 months ago LovieH2O
This is so rich and chocolaty it is dangerous. A little goes a long way. Then after a few minutes it calls you back for another taste. Best part is it makes me the gourmet in the eyes of my fans.
4 months ago Ali @ Peaches and Football
This recipe looks to die for. Absolutely cannot wait to try it and I love the ability to make it vegan! Some other substitutions: you could split the water and replace half with coconut milk for a very creamy treat and still not have the dairy.
4 months ago BurgeoningBaker
1. Isn't a sorbet by definition sans cream/milk?
2. Don't most chocolates contain dry milk or milk fat?
2 months ago Joshua Pines
1. Yes
2. Not dark chocolate
4 months ago Lee Ann Cox
Sounds fabulous! I'll have to try it.
I'm on the "no dairy=no ear infections" eating style and usually use soy or almond milk when I make ice cream, but this looks great!
4 months ago Gayle Roberts Krupin
I'm surprised you use Dutch processed cocoa. Alkaline is not good for people!
4 months ago gretch374
I am having a crazy thought to cut back on the sugar and use that caramelized white chocolate in place of the bittersweet. Just for kicks and giggles. And hopefully boat loads of super yumminess. If I try it I'll let you know how it turns out.
4 months ago Beth Ellen
This recipe is magical. Some kind of alchemy happens during the preparation of the ingredients to produce such a creamy product. It is absolutely delicious, yet very, very strong...too strong for my kids. So I experimented with combining the chilled mixture with 1.5 cups of heavy cream and 1/2 tsp vanilla before freezing. This turned out to be one of the best chocolate ice creams ever!
5 months ago duckdiva21@hotmail.com
I just made this twice (one recipe for my house and one for my grandmother who cannot eat dairy)!! It is so yummy and creamy! I added some almond milk and peanut butter to mine and milk shake!! over the top!!
8 months ago mbinzel
This is one of the best chocolate recipes EVER. DO NOT skip or forget the blender step like I did once...it homogenizes the mixture. Without it, you end up with gritty bits of chocolate in a sugary mixture. Still edible, but not nearly as delicious.
9 months ago monacake
i return to this recipe again and again, and am always grateful and satiated. what a gift this simple, decadent, magical recipe is.
10 months ago nicolena
I made this last night - absolutely delicious! I added a bit of cayenne and some cardamom to give it a bit of kick. Highly recommend!!
10 months ago Choirbell
Awesome! We found that for some reason our ice cream maker only got the mixture to a slushy stage (which tasted awesome). But we put it in the freezer and it turned out to be a great Sorbet texture the next day. We'll be making it again and again as my husband is a chocoholic! I'd love to try it with cold coffee instead of water.
11 months ago Margaret McCormick
So easy, so delicious -- like a Fudgesicle on steroids! Super chocolate-y. Served with raspberries and a garnish of mint. Can't wait to eat it again tonight!
11 months ago Phoov
Stunning! Could not find full Dutch cocoa here in the NC mountains, I'm sure it is here somewhere!, but I did find a blend and used that. I had a ton of good quality 'eating' dark chocolate on hand....including 3 ozs of dark with orange zest, and incorporated that with another 3 ozs. plain dark. Made it just a slightly orangey wonderfulness!!!!!
12 months ago tota
this is an amazing recipe...very,very easy (granted we had access to excellent chocolate) and everyone loved it. I think it is brilliant that something so good has no cream or eggs in it....I will make it over and over (and our relatively inexpensive Cuisinart ice cream maker worked perfectly...)
12 months ago rbourgui
On the second try, I added a modest pinch of cayenne to the dry ingredients before the boiling, with great results.
12 months ago lapadia
I’ve wanted to make this since last year, finally got around to it thanks to this posting. Delicious! I added a teaspoon Espresso powder to the water because I like this taste combination and 1.5 tablespoons chocolate vodka with the vanilla to help keep the sorbet softer....note, a habit of mine with any frozen treat.
12 months ago sdebrango
Suzanne is a trusted source on General Cooking.
I made this today and it's so wonderful. So easy to make, rich, creamy and delicious I don't even miss the milk and cream. Makes a fantastic ice cream soda or shake.
12 months ago chefkatgurl
I love experimenting with my Cusinart ice cream maker. This was one of the easiest & quickest frozen desserts I ever made. Very rich and delicious...I had a sugar high that lasted hours(!) Even subbed in 1/4 of the sugar with stevia powder. Hersheys has a dark cocoa powder that's really good.
12 months ago Rebecca,Rodriguez
i made a triple batch & froze it in a 9x13 glass pyrex. i gave it a good stir after the first 45 min, and 2x more after 30 min. then i left it in the freezer overnight. it's def very dense and melts quickly. i think it would have been a little more airy if i had used the ice cream maker, but it's not totally necessary. hope this helps!!
about 1 year ago KarenSue
I followed the directions precisely, used a Cuisanart Ice Cream Machine, and it was perfect. It looks exactly like the photo above + I did sprinkle a few pieces of salt on the top. It does appear to be more of a frozen mousse, not terribly thick, even the next day, so don't think you've made a mistake. Perfection! BTW... I used ghiradhelli cocoa + hershey's semisweet chocolate chips, which I had in the pantry.
about 1 year ago Vitaj
To revise my previous post, after the ice cream maker had done all it could, I put the not-quite-frozen xylitized sorbet in the freezer, and it HAS firmed up a bit, though not as much as I suspect David L's does. Still, I am revising my judgement - it's more of a frozen mousse, and it melts FAST once outside the freezer, but it's still delicious, and more than OK with the substitution. It would amazing as a layer in a parfait, also, where it everything would be less time sensitive in terms of plating it. Xylitol-lovers - give this a try: David's amazing recipe subbing "x" for sugar.
about 1 year ago fitsxarts
This is a game changer. And so creamy-delicious that I will happily eat this in lieu of ice cream. Thank you thank you! And yes, it's all about the chocolate.
about 1 year ago mdm
DELICIOUS! Made it over the weekend for a big gang and we all loved it -- thank you!
about 1 year ago Vitaj
OK: Bad times on the xylitol tip. The 45-second boil with the sugar matters (perhaps obviously to some of you!!). And the structural changes that do NOT happen with a 45-second boil of xylitol mean that a very soft-serve product is probably all that's possible. : ( I think I'll jar it, and use it as a topping on actual ice cream (though my actual ice cream is usually made with coconut milk). It's delicious, but radical changes would need to be made for this to work, probably in the form of adding dairy/eggs or both.
about 1 year ago sheredel
if no ice cream maker (currently!) any other way to freeze?
about 1 year ago jellybeans
I don't have an ice cream maker....I feel like rushing out and buying the chocolate....I could taste it.Someone please try and make this by hand and post details.
about 1 year ago mooleeadie
Echoing Vitaj on the xylitol question: I prefer the taste to sugar as well as the other benefits of substitution and wish more of you geniuses and great cooks worked with it. I may try the experiment.
about 1 year ago missedtheboatagain
I'd love some ice cream maker recommendations. I have a tiny apartment freezer, so I don't want the kind where you have to freeze the canister. Which self chilling models (I know this means more $$$) work well and are reasonably priced? Where can you buy them online?
about 1 year ago Vitaj
Do you think it would be possible to sub xylitol for sugar? It's all about whether or not the sugar does MORE than sweeten, because xylitol doesn't behave like sugar chemically in recipes. I think I'll try - living Low Carba Vida, but this sounds too good to not give low-carbization a go! Thanks!
about 1 year ago knitnbead
You really don't need a $300+ ice cream maker. Cuisinart makes one for about $35 that works great. I have mine for years. It's one that has a freezing canister and any frozen concoction is ready within a half hour.
about 1 year ago AlizaEss
I don't have an ice cream freezer... once I froze a coffee syrup like this in ice cube trays and ground them up in a cuisinart. It worked pretty well! Also considering this method of making ice cream/sorbet in a plastic bag: http://citypaper.com/eat...
about 1 year ago SEW
Oh...My...Goodness, yes, yes, and yes!
about 1 year ago Once Upon A Feast
FYI
I purchased a Cuisinart Ice Cream maker for $59 from Sam's Club, and they are also on Amazon for a bargain. It works beautifully, and is usually done in about 20 minutes.
about 1 year ago Kerryloves2travel
By itself or paired with fresh raspberries & a bit of whipped cream! Divine.
Or a bit of crumbled Hazelnut cookies...
Never wrong with a smooth creamy chocolate dessert!
about 1 year ago ellenj
Do I need to use Dutch-process cocoa powder in this recipe? I have regular cocoa already in my pantry?
about 1 year ago Stephanie G
I suspect that he uses Dutch processed for the dark color.
about 1 year ago KCKris
I'd stick with the Dutch-process cocoa. It has a smoother flavor than regular cocoa.
about 1 year ago ann67p
Do you have to put this into an ice cream maker? Can you just freeze it, stirring it occasionally? I know that's not as good as the maker, but it might do.
about 1 year ago Kt4
I have the same question. There are a lot of good sounding sorbet & ice cream recipes coming out but I don't have [nor can I afford] an ice cream maker. It would be *great* if someone did an article about how to get around that ... hint, hint ;)
about 1 year ago MindyK
Same question :) What if you don't have an ice cream maker?
about 1 year ago chocbird09
http://www.davidlebovitz...
Take care to REALLY break down any chunks when you stir. At first I didn't and my first homemade sorbet was rather dissappointing ;)
about 1 year ago maiolicagirl
This is a beautiful recipe, a favorite for summer. Paired with espresso granita or caramel ice cream or layered with , blackberry or raspberry sorbet and made into a terrine. It is a sublime summer time dessert. Bring on the fruit!