Chocolate Cherry Sorbet

It has been a hot summer, even on our usually cool and foggy coast. On those warm days, visions of ice cream pop into my mind—so very satisfying when the icy sweetness hits your tongue. My absolute favorite ice cream is right here in Santa Cruz and it is made by the the Penny Ice Creamery. Treat yourself and your loved ones when you are in Santa Cruz. If you can’t come to Santa Cruz and if you an have an ice cream maker you might enjoy this creamy, velvety, bitttersweet chocolate sorbet. It is divine and so easy to make. All you need is a good red cherry jam, Dutch processed cocoa and a little sugar. This would be the perfect dessert for someone that is vegan.

I found this 12-year old  recipe in my ice cream folder. In the original recipe from Cooking Light,  it was made with a fresh cherry compote. Because I had some fresh cherries, and that’s exactly what I did. The second time I made it was for my book club luncheon. I had about a cup of frozen cherries left that I chopped and added to the sorbet five minutes before it was finished. I think you could also make this sorbet with apricot jam or other fruits. I am going to try that when cherry season is over.

I have been experimenting with different flavors of ice cream. One didn’t make the cut, but another turned out tasty and went well with the chocolate sorbet. It is made with cream and fresh berries and I hope to post it later.

This sorbet took 4o minutes to freeze, but my ice cream maker is 40 years old and lives in our garage because of the awful noise it makes. Making this sorbet is a three-day process. Once you mix the ingredients, they need to be refrigerated overnight for the flavors to blend. After freezing the sorbet, it needs to harden in the freezer for another day. For some reason, the sorbet melts quickly after serving it. My book club members and family enjoyed this treat.

The Recipe
You will get about a pint of sorbet, enough for 6 smallish servings.
​You will need an ice cream maker and a mixer 

Print the recipe

​Ingredients:

Sorbet:

¾ cup red cherry jam
½ cup  unsweetened Dutch cocoa 
¼ cup of sugar
a pinch of salt
2 cups water

​
Compote: 
a pound of pitted cherries
¼ cup sugar



​

​Directions:

Sorbet:
​Put the jam, cocoa, pinch of salt, and sugar in a heavy saucepan and mix with a whisk. Gradually add two cups water, stirring constantly. Bring the mixture to a boil and continue to stir with a whisk.  Put the mixture in a bowl, cool to room temperature, cover and chill overnight. This is important as the flavors need to develop. 
The next day, pour the mixture in your ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer’s instructions. Mine took 40 minutes, but I have a very old and cranky ice cream maker. 
Spoon the sorbet into a container and freeze overnight. 
Compote:

For the cherry compote, sprinkle some sugar over the pitted cherries and let it stand for a few hours at room temperature. 

When I made the sorbet the second time, I partially defrosted about a cup of pitted cherries, chopped them into small pieces and added them to the sorbet five minutes before it was finished in the ice cream maker. 

Guten Appetit!
Recipe adapted from Cooking Light 
©sunnycovechef.com

If you don't have an ice cream maker try my Black Forest Chocolate Mousse,  it is satisfying and easy to make. Click here for the link.