Chocolate Sherbet

Mister Man gave me my beloved favourite kitchen appliance, the Kitchen Aid Mixer, which he later tricked out (on Valentine's day) with the Kitchen Aid Mixer ICE CREAM MAKER extension thingie! Who knew that such a simple object could make ICE CREAM!

Of course I had dreams of whipping up fruity sorbettos all summer long, but somehow, I was inexplicably sidetracked by baking squares, and more squares, and a few bars too....

In any event, the other night I had a hankerin' for something cold and smooth from the chocolate food group, so I whipped up this lovely sherbet a la my new boyfriend David Lebovitz. (Okay, okay, I know he's gay and living in Paris, but at the very least, I like to imagine that he is our neighbour and we're all on each other's "pop in" list.)

Right now, my friend and fellow blogger, BunkleLife is hanging out in Paris. I imagine that she's strolling down the Champs-Elysees eating fabulous pastry and strolling arm in arm with the fabulous David Lebovitz..... I'm holding out for the photos.

Last winter, I made a few batches of delicious ice cream in the new Kitchen Aid Ice Cream Maker for guests. I discovered that real French Vanilla Ice Cream is that special, elegant shade of pale yellow because it involves an abundance of egg yolks. And it's delicious because it is made with cream, and lots of it!

Meanwhile, where did summer go? Did I make even one fruity sorbetto? No I did not! So now I am desperately scrambling. I have pulled out The Perfect Scoop by my new BFF David Lebovitz, pouring over the pages in a desperate attempt to cling onto the last vestiges of summer.

Here's the Chocolate Sorbet recipe from David Lebovitz's website. It was mighty tasty (though I regret not putting it through a food processor at the end of stage one, because it was, in the words of D.L. "a little gritty".) But still, it was delicious.

Chocolate Sherbet

You can use either Dutch-process or natural cocoa powder. I actually used BOTH (1/4 cup of each). The most important thing about the cocoa, is that you use a top-of-the-line brand, because it's all about the taste.

The shot of Kahlua added a lovely je ne sais quoi (and apparently helps the texture). It's not necessary, so can be omitted.

2 cups milk (whole, low, or non-fat)

1/2 cup (100g) sugar

pinch of kosher salt

1/2 cup (50g) unsweetened cocoa powder

4 ounces (115g) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped (I used 2 ounces of each)

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

optional: 2 tablespoons Kahluà (it really adds a nice hint of flavour)

In a medium-sized saucepan, warm half (1 cup) of the milk with the sugar, salt, and cocoa powder.

Bring to a full boil while whisking, then reduce the heat and simmer gently for 30 seconds.

Remove from heat and stir in the chocolate, the vanilla, and the coffee-flavored liqueur. Then add the other half of the milk

Taste, and if the chocolate is a bit grainy, puree it in a blender to smooth it out. (I didn't do this, but in retrospect wish I hadda!)

Chill thoroughly, (I chilled it over night)

Freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Let it melt in your mouth and enjoy the fact that it's still summer out there.