Ever since getting my professional ice cream machine, I’ve been experimenting with all sorts of iced churned sweets – ice creams made with an egg custard base, Sicilian gelatos that replaced the egg with corn starch, non-dairy sorbets and icy granitas. There is something luxurious about these ices that appeal to anyone with a sweet tooth. I’ve been helped along the way with a variety of sources (see below) that have shaped my evolving experimentation. It is an ongoing adventure, chronicled here.
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Pesky Watermelon Pips (15 August 2018) Making sorbet with watery, low pectin fruit: watermelon. |
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Tart, But Not Too Tart (9 May 2018) Dealing with the acidity in citrus fruits in making sorbet, particularly the most acidic – lemon. |
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Cappuccino Sherbet (20 December 2017) A cautionary tale in the use to too much stabilising gum. |
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Sherbet, Oranges & Quince (6 December 2017) A recipe for orange sherbet – a perfect accompaniment to poached quince. |
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Sherbet va. Sorbet (16 August 2017) Another variation of Gelato Messenia‘s Chocolate Sorbet with the addition of a little milk making it a sherbet. |
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Ice & Coffee (5 July 2017) Mocha Sorbetto based on Gelato Messenia‘s chocolate sorbet recipe. |
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Stabilising Experiments (21 June 2017) Experiments in making sorbet using xantham gum and locust bean stabalisers – comparing and contrasting. Plus, an improved recipe for mandarin sorbetto that I first blogged about in Falling Mandarins (see below). |
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Frozen Berries (14 June 2017) Sorbetto made with a bag of mixed frozen berries – a recipe applicable to any fresh or frozen berries. |
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Falling Mandarins (22 February 2017) Sorbetto making with fresh mandarin juice. |
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Gelato Lessons (19 October 2016) Tips and lessons learned from a gelatieri in Lucca, Italy: Gelato and sorbetto making is not easy and requires a perfect balance of ingredients. |
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Butterscotch Ice Cream (1 August 2016) Egg custard style ice creams and the use of cream cheese as one of the dairy ingredients. |
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Orange-Mandarin Curd Ice Cream (19 January 2016) A creamy ice cream made with a citrus curd – a technique that can be applied to any fruit curd. |
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Apricot Frozen Yoghurt (18 August 2015) Easy frozen yoghurt recipe using jam and honey. |
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Gooseberry Spoom (23 July 2015) Large quantites of Italian meringue used in making a gooseberry “spoom” – a sorbet-like ice. |
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Finally Sorbet (21 July 2015) Italian meringue as a stabaliser in making a black currant sorbet. |
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Frozen: More Unexpected Results (18 June 2015) The use of alcohol (rosé) in making a smooth Sicilian style granita. |
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Spring Pastels (21 May 2015) Three examples of Sicilian gelato using different flavouring consistencies and the the beneficial results of using jam in making gelato. |
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The Art and Science of Gelato Making, Sicilian Style (19 May 2015) The science behind the basic Sicilian style of gelato made with a corn flour (starch) custard base. |
A few sources:
* The Ice Cream Nation
* Serious Eats
* David Lebovitz
* The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz
* Ice Creams, Sorbets and Gelati: The Definitive Guide by Robin and Caroline Weir
* The River Cafe Pocket Books: Puddings, Cakes and Ice Creams by Rose Gray and Ruth Rodgers
* Gelato Messina by Nick Palumbo