This is inspired by Mrs. Rombauer's "Buttermilk Sherbet" in her 1943 edition of "The Joy of Cooking." Did you know that the full title of The Joy then was "The Joy of Cooking: A Compilation of Reliable Recipes with a Casual Culinary Chat"? Those "casual culinary chats" are one of many things that make this volume so delightful. Regarding Buttermilk Sherbet, which calls for crushed pineapple to flavor it, Mrs. Rombauer reported in 1943, "This remarkable combination has come into favor." While the pineapple, I'm sure, is lovely, I wanted something a bit more vibrant. Another change I made is to leave out altogether the raw egg white called for in that recipe. I have no doubt that the eggs I buy are perfectly safe but, deciding to proceed with caution, I've followed Mrs. Rombauer's basic rule for her other (non-buttermilk) sherbets, to use gelatin instead. Frankly, if you don't care for gelatin, you can probably leave it out altogether. An interesting problem presents itself with this recipe due to the differences in the buttermilk available today. I am quite certain that the buttermilk the dairies deliver to our grocery stores in 2011 -- a "cultured lowfat milk product" -- is quite different from what the dairies delivered to the doorsteps of Americans in 1943. To get a better consistency in this sherbet, I've added a touch of full-fat coconut milk. It scents the sherbet very lightly, and gives it a great "mouth feel." The liqueur is the only sweetener. I use my own ratafia, which provides bright coriander notes, but any commercial orange liqueur would do fine (as would limoncello or whatever other flavored liqueur you believe would pair nicely with the orange). See my notes below, at the end of the instructions, if you don't have a suitable liqueur on hand. Enjoy!! —AntoniaJames
Who doesn't love orange sherbet? I really like the addition of buttermilk and coconut milk in this recipe. They make the sherbet nice and creamy and it's a wonderful balance to the triple punch of oranges, orange peel and orange liqueur. This was delicious and lots of fun to make. I topped mine with a bit of dark chocolate syrup. What was left made a fantastic creamsicle milk shake. A perfect summer treat in the middle of winter! —cgilsbach
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