Sorbet is a fantastic dessert to make when you have lots of fresh fruit in your kitchen. I’ve had quite a few fresh pineapples around lately, as they have been priced very well at my local stores. I usually chop them up and add them into fruit salads or bake pineapple upside down cakes, but this time around I opted to make a Fresh Pineapple Sorbet. Fresh pineapple has a fantastic sweet, floral flavor that you don’t get in canned pineapple (though I have nothing against canned pineapple packed in juice, and use it all the time!) and it really makes a delicious sorbet.
The sorbet is very simple. It is made primarily with fresh pineapple and sugar. To give this sorbet a slightly creamier texture, I added a small amount of heavy cream to it. It is still much less rich than ice cream, but it is not a dairy-free sorbet. That being said, you could easily make it dairy free and get the same effect by using full-fact coconut milk in place of the heavy cream. It may give your sorbet a hint of pina colada flavor, which isn’t a bad thing! The sorbet is bright and fresh tasting, with a bold pineapple flavor and just the right amount of sweetness. Serve this sorbet as-is, pair it with fruit or put it into a champagne flute and top it with a little bit of bubbly for a tropical bellini!
You don’t need an ice cream maker to make this sorbet, although if you have one I recommend using it because it will give you excellent results. If you don’t have one, you can simply pour your sorbet into a freezer-safe container and put it in the freezer. Giving it a stir once or twice as it freezes (every 30-45 minutes or so) is enough to keep it quite scoopable even after it is frozen. The difference between the churned and un-churned versions of this sorbet is that the un-churned version will need to soften for a couple of minutes after it comes out of the freezer for optimum scoopability.
Fresh Pineapple Sorbet
16-oz peeled, fresh pineapple, cut into small pieces
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup sugar
Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until very smooth. Strain through a strainer to ensure no pieces of peel get into the sorbet.
If using an ice cream maker, pour into the canister and freeze according to manufacturers’ directions. Otherwise, pour into a freezer-proof container and freeze until firm, stirring slightly every 30-45 minutes to break up large ice crystals.
Serves 6-8.
JL
August 18, 2014This seems like a pineapple sherbet to me– a sorbet wouldn’t have dairy.
Medeja
August 19, 2014Looks very tempting!
Nicole
August 19, 2014JL – Technically, there is no official distinction between the two, so while I agree that I have seen many sherberts with dairy and many nondairy sorbets, the naming can go either way. http://www.yumsugar.com/Difference-Between-Sorbet-Sherbet-Sherbert-7216977