An Experiment to Create The Best Buttermilk Sorbet
by: Precious Pioneer
So, this is day one. Welcome to the daily blog of my life as a pastry chef! I decided to document the questions, queries, problems, and recipes I encounter daily. A large part of my job is to find solutions to dietary restrictions by subbing ingredients that should work together in theory; you only really know until the last moment. This blog aims to spark a conversation between chefs and to be a resource or point of reference to recipes, tips, and recommendations related to all things food.
Lately, I’ve been testing out recipes for buttermilk sorbet using a PacoJet machine from the ones I’ve found online.
I tested them all — five recipes in total.
And I am here to report what I have learned throughout my experiments, in case you are thinking about making some yourself.
After a quick google search, NYT Cooking Magazine, Martha Stewart, and Food Network offered credible recipes. I had an excellent ice cream base from my Head Chef (Chef Nick) and a Coconut ice cream base I found on the Pacojet website.
NYT Cooking Magazine Recipe: Lemon-Buttermilk Sorbet
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/6919-lemon-buttermilk-sorbet
- Ingredients: 1/2 cup sugar, 2 cups low-fat buttermilk, 1-in long vanilla bean scraped, juice, and zest of one lemon
- Process: Make a simple syrup with 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water. Let it cool. Whisk together all of the remaining ingredients.
- Freeze and run through an ice cream machine
Martha Stewart Recipe: Buttermilk Sorbet for Rhubarb Float
https://www.marthastewart.com/333816/buttermilk-sorbet
- Ingredients: 1 cup sugar, 1 1/2 cups low-fat buttermilk, 1/2 cup heavy cream, 1 tbsp corn syrup, a pinch of salt, and 1 vanilla bean scraped.
- Process: Make a simple syrup with 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of water. Chill. Whisk together all of the remaining ingredients.
- Freeze and run through an ice cream machine.
Food Network Recipe: Buttermilk Sherbert
https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/buttermilk-sherbet-recipe-2111971
- Ingredients/Process: Whisk together 1 quart of buttermilk, 1 cup of sugar, 1/2 cup of sour cream, and the zest and juice of a lemon until the sugar dissolves. Chill for at least 2 hrs. Churn/ Add mixture to your ice cream machine. Transfer to a container and freeze until firm. * at least three hours*
Chef Nick’s Recipe: Pacojet Icecream Recipe *Buttermilk Edition*
- Ingredients/Process: 400g buttermilk, 200g whole milk, .05% xantham, 120g sugar, 5g Thick and Easy *a white powder consisting of maltodextrin, xantham gum, carrageenan, and erythritol.*5g bourbon vanilla bean paste, 1/2 zest of a lemon, and 10g lemon juice. Use a hand blender and blend all of the ingredients until smooth. Store in an airtight container and freeze. Pass through Pacojet machine.
Pacojet Coconut Sorbet Recipe
Ingredients: 1000g coconut puree ( sub buttermilk), 250g water, 100g dextrose, and 6g sorbet stabilizer.
> Let it be known that this recipe did not work. I listed it as an option because it was a part of the experiment to find the best sorbet. Because coconut milk has a high-fat content and body, it may yield a similar texture when subbed with buttermilk. I was wrong. Pacojets are finicky when it comes to using fancy sugars and stabilizers. The science gets complicated, which explains the reaction when spun into ice cream. The best way to describe the texture result would be like that old-school Dippin’ Dots Ice cream. Kind of a weird shredded oddball texture. I would only recommend listing it as a contender if you’re looking for a coconut sorbet!
After spinning all the ice creams, my Sous Chef (Chef Lance) and I sat down, blind taste tested, and left notes for each one.
We noted that NYT has the best texture, but Martha’s had the desired sweetness we wanted to achieve. Chef Nick’s was too creamy. Perfect for ice cream, but technically we’re striving for a sorbet.
Sorbets: Sorbet, also called “water ice,” is a frozen dessert made using ice combined with fruit juice, fruit purée, wine, liqueur, honey, etc. Generally, sorbets do not contain dairy ingredients, while sherbets do.
It’s a tricky line we’re trying to cross here. We want the icy mouth feel of sorbet but avoid the fatty, creamy feel of ice cream. But, now we need to recreate an ice cream with the texture of NYT but the sweetness of Martha Stewart’s version. But, in both bases, we used simple syrup, and we can’t simply add more to increase the sweetness because of the water… or can we?
Back to the drawing board!
Listing the two recipe side by side, they’re relatively similar, with the main difference being the addition of corn syrup. I wanted to know whether adding more syrup, thicker syrup, corn syrup, or more buttermilk was the solution, so I tried all four recipe tests.
Recipe Test #1:
- 1 cup sugar, 1 cup water, and 2 1/2 cups buttermilk
Recipe Test #2:
- 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup water, 2 cups of buttermilk
Recipe Test #3:
- 1 cup sugar, 1 cup water, 2 cups of buttermilk, 1 tbsp corn syrup
Recipe Test #4:
- 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup water, 2 cups of buttermilk, 1 tbsp corn syrup
After spinning the ice creams, Recipe Test #1 was too watery, as predicted. It would make a great granita or shaved ice. But it couldn’t hold any shape when spun in the PacoJet. Recipe Test #2 yielded a similar result with a slightly thicker body. Recipe Test #3 and #4 were so similar it was splitting hairs at this point. But, we thought that Recipe Test #4 was the perfect recipe. It was a plus that after being spun, the ice cream didn’t need to freeze again to form. Bases can be pulled straight from the freezer, spun in the PacoJet, and quenelle directly onto a plate.
Success!
The Best Buttermilk Sorbet for a Pacojet:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
2 cups of buttermilk
1 tbsp corn syrup
- Make a simple syrup and let it cool. Mix the remaining ingredients and store the mixture in an airtight container. Freeze overnight. Spin in a PacoJet machine.
*Note: Season lemon and vanilla to taste. I used only 1/4 of lemon zest for each recipe and about 2–5g of bourbon vanilla bean paste. I want it to taste like the acid from the buttermilk. The lemon helps to brighten it, but I don’t want it to take over. But, depending on your application season as you go to yield the desired result.
Cheers, don’t forget to do something kind today!
Precious Pioneer
