Too warm where you're at for hot spiced apple cider? Try this sorbet instead. This was on the menu for a wedding dessert reception we catered last fall, and it was also the first time we'd ever tried this recipe! Luckily it turned out great - one of our favorite things from the whole menu.
There's the sweet wild taste of apple cider, with a smooth and silky texture, and the spices come through at the end for warm autumn finish.
Don't worry too much about the alcohol you use here; it's for texture, not taste. We actually ended up using a mix of brandy and vermouth! The alcohol keeps the sorbet from freezing rock hard. This proportion worked very well for us.
Spiced Apple Cider Sorbet
Makes 1 1/2 quarts
1 1/2 cups fresh apple cider
2/3 cups sugar
1 teaspoon whole cloves
5 whole cinnamon sticks
1 1/2 cups unsweetened applesauce
3/4 cups cranberry juice cocktail (make sure it's 100% juice)
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons dark rum or other alcohol
Stir together apple cider, sugar, cloves and cinnamon sticks in saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat , stirring occasionally. Simmer for about 15 minutes. Remove from heat. Remove cloves and cinnamon sticks with a slotted spoon; discard.
Whisk in applesauce, cranberry and lemon juices and rum. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Freeze as directed in the instructions for your particular ice cream maker. (We find that we get the best texture when we freeze for a relatively short amount of time - about 15-20 minutes, or just until frozen. This seems to keep the texture silkier. As always, leave to harden in the freezer for at least four hours before serving.)
Related: Ice Cream, Sorbet, & Frozen Yogurt: The Full Roundup!
(Image: Faith Hopler)
Re-edited from post originally published on September 25, 2007
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Can you explain "freeze as directed'?
Thanks for the clarification!
i have got to get an ice cream maker. that looks so good.
Oh man!! This reminds me of the apple cider slushies I would get at the apple orchard at my college. Thanks for this! Now I can make them at home.
Making it right now.
Let us know how it turns out! =)
I made this last night and it's DELICIOUS! but mine turned out purple (from the cranberry juice) and not the nice appley/spiced brown color of the photo above. is it supposed to be purple?
it's yummy regardless, but i'm curious ;-)
dramabug - that is funny! You probably had a different cranberry cocktail mix that was heavier on the cranberry, or that contained more grape juice. Mine was 100% juice (the ONLY one I could find in a lineup of sugared partial juices!) but I am not sure what the ratio of cranberry to other juices was. It was fairly light, though; I think it had apple and white grape juices in it too.
I am glad you like it, though!
I made this last night and it was wonderful! The perfect thing for Texas in November, when you want fall/holiday food but it's still 80 degrees out.
Mine turned out just like the photo. I used cranberry cocktail containing cranberry and apple juices, and light rum.
anyone think this would work in a high-speed blender? ice-cream makers sound appealing, but I don't have much room for unitaskers in my kitchen.
At the Minnesota state fair they used to sell frozen cider in the apple area, basically it was like those frozen ice things in the clear plastic where you cut across the top and push the ice out. That stuff was great so if you don't have an ice cream maker you could probably get a good popsicle out of this recipe or even just cider itself.
Sounds delicious!
OH MAN. I am so excited to make this.
Emily
WATER U DOING WORKING RITE NOWWWWWWWW
I've made this several times since the recipe was posted last year. It's sooooooo good... it definitely never turned out purple though! ;)
We're planning on serving it as dessert at our wedding next fall! I can't wait!
@sally599 -- it's 2011 now and they still sell those every year at the State Fair.
Do i have to have an ice cream maker? i've made watermelon sorbet w/o one, but that gets blended with ice and it has texture. i'd really like to make it this weekend.... any idea?
A "cheater" variation of this is to freeze applesauce--it's more like a granita, less like a silky sorbet, but you still get that deliciously refreshing chill! It's best with home-made applesauce, of course (which is not really too much to ask with a slow-cooker), but if you buy those pre-packaged applesauce cups, it's ridiculously easy.
Made this as a dessert for our annual family Christmas brunch. I was looking for a recipe on the "lighter" side to counteract all the heavy food we would be eating the rest of the day and this seemed to fit. I made it exactly as the recipe stated and got rave reviews from my family. It is really flavorful and just perfect! I served it with a cookie that tastes much like pie crust sprinkled with cinnamon sugar (sort of a deconstructed frozen apple pie concept!)