5 Ingredients or Fewer

Orange Sherbet With Salted Whipped Cream

by:
August  5, 2019
4.3
3 Ratings
Orange Sherbet With Salted Whipped Cream
Photo by Rocky Luten. Prop stylist: Brooke Deonarine. Food stylist: Anna Billingskog.
  • Prep time 32 hours
  • Makes about 5 cups sherbet, plus 2 cups whipped cream
Author Notes

Like a Creamsicle but, dare we say, even better. Instead of 20-plus ingredients, this Big Little Recipe only needs three: oranges, light corn syrup, and heavy cream. The result is a sweet-sour sherbet with a salty whipped cream, perfect for a summer day that’s way too hot. When you’re juicing the oranges, don’t strain out the pulp—it adds orangey flavor and rich body to the sherbet. Try to find organic oranges if you can, since we’re using a lot of zest (read: a lot of zingy flavor). And if you’re raising your eyebrows at light corn syrup, don’t. Different from high-fructose corn syrup, this is the key to a creamy, silky, scoopable sherbet (and, while we’re at it, ice cream and sorbet, too). For the topping, I like to whip cream by hand, which all but guarantees a soft, swooshy result. If you use electric beaters or a stand mixer, make sure to watch it like a hawk to avoid over-whipping. —Emma Laperruque

What You'll Need
Watch This Recipe
Orange Sherbet With Salted Whipped Cream
Ingredients
  • Orange sherbet
  • 2 tablespoons Microplaned (or super finely grated) orange zest (see recipe notes)
  • 2 cups freshly squeezed orange juice (about 6 oranges, see recipe notes)
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 pint light corn syrup
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • Salted whipped cream
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 pinch kosher salt
Directions
  1. Make sure the bowl of your ice cream maker is in the freezer for at least 24 hours—preferably longer—before starting the recipe.
  2. Add the orange zest, orange juice, and salt to a blender. Blend to combine and break down the orange zest a bit. Add the corn syrup and blend until completely smooth. Add the cream and blend again until smooth. Taste. More orange zest? More salt? You be the judge. Refrigerate this mixture until completely cold.
  3. When the sherbet mixture has totally chilled, stick a loaf pan (or whatever container you’re transferring the ice cream into) in the freezer. Churn the sherbet in an ice cream machine according to the manufacturer's instructions. (For me, this takes about 30 minutes.) Transfer to the chilled container, cover with plastic wrap or a lid, and freeze the sherbet for at least 4 hours before serving.
  4. To make the salted whipped cream, combine the cream and salt in a mixing bowl (if it’s chilled in advance, the cream will whip faster). Whisk just until soft, floppy peaks form. Taste and adjust the salt accordingly. (You can also do this with an electric handheld mixer or a standing mixer, but I prefer to use my hand, which is the best insurance against over-whipping.)
  5. Serve scoops of orange sherbet with plops of whipped cream on top.
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  • Nicole Jinks-Fredrick
    Nicole Jinks-Fredrick
  • MargieHubbard
    MargieHubbard
  • Fran McGinty
    Fran McGinty
  • Emma Laperruque
    Emma Laperruque
Emma Laperruque
Emma was the food editor at Food52. She created the award-winning column, Big Little Recipes, and turned it into a cookbook in 2021. These days, she's a senior editor at Bon Appétit, leading digital cooking coverage. Say hello on Instagram at @emmalaperruque.

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11 Reviews

jacci F.
jacci F. May 8, 2021
Sorry - I also added a tablespoon of Gran Gala
 
jacci F.
jacci F. May 8, 2021
Just made this yesterday. I pretty much followed the recipe but I did add an extra tablespoon of orange zest and doubled the salt. I skipped the whipped cream. I think it is delicious! I too looked at the corn syrup and hesitated. But the comparison to pecan pie is accurate so I went for it. This is my first sherbet and I am very happy with it. Just an FYI, if it is allowed - If you want a pretty easy, usual ice cream - try the Omani Lime Blueberry ice cream from the book Flavor Equation - fabulous!
 
Nicole J.
Nicole J. August 11, 2019
Husband has an allergy to corn/maize and its products. Can I use honey instead? Maybe with a dash of alcohol to improve texture?
 
Emma L.
Emma L. August 12, 2019
Hi Nicole! I wouldn't recommend doing a 1:1 corn syrup to honey substitute, because the honey flavor would be overpowering. A mix of sugar and honey would be better—maybe 3/4 cup each? (Adjusted to taste.) And you could definitely add one to two tablespoons vodka to encourage creaminess.
 
MargieHubbard
MargieHubbard August 10, 2019
Everyone raises an eyebrow at the corn syrup. I hate rock hard ice cream though. So, I'm going to try it. Plus, I keep thinking... "pecan pie has lots of corn syrup. i don't think twice about eating pecan pie!" I think I might substitute homemade plain whole milk yogurt for the heavy cream, though. I want more things I can do with yogurt and this sounds pretty delicious! Do you think that would work? Would you use the Greek or regular yogurt?
 
MargieHubbard
MargieHubbard August 11, 2019
The yogurt worked just fine! I used homemade regular whole milk yogurt. Really good. But, I might try Greek next time for a little more creamy richness. Thanks for the simple and delicious recipe. I can certainly riff on this with different flavors. Good way to use up the rest of this week's yogurt when the new batch is in the sous vide!
 
Emma L.
Emma L. August 12, 2019
So glad to hear it—thanks for reporting back!
 
Keena
Keena August 8, 2019
It was delicious and easy to make! I tend to prefer things a little less sweet however. How much can I reasonably cut back on the corn sera up and still have a sherbet that has a decent temperature and is not hard like a rock. I tried to do this once with a strawberry sorbet and it came out like a rock. So I have no idea how much I could cut out reasonably.
 
Emma L.
Emma L. August 9, 2019
Hi Keena! So glad you made and enjoyed the recipe. Instead of reducing the corn syrup (which, like you said, could lead to the sherbet turning out icy and hard), you could swap out some of the orange juice for something less sweet and more sour—say, lemon, lime, or grapefruit juice.
 
Fran M.
Fran M. August 6, 2019
This sounds fabulous. Wish there was a substitute for the corn syrup
 
Emma L.
Emma L. August 6, 2019
Hi Fran! I go into why I use corn syrup in this article: https://food52.com/blog/24433-why-you-should-put-salted-whipped-cream-on-orange-sherbet. But the cheatsheet is: Because sherbets contain so much fruit juice, they get icy very easily (not what we want), and the corn syrup ensures a super-creamy texture. Also worth noting—light corn syrup is very different than high-fructose corn syrup (what many of us have been told to avoid in food products). At first, I was hesitant to use it in frozen desserts, too, but after I read more about the ingredient and saw what a difference it makes, I became hooked.