Sweet Pink Treat: Quick Pomegranate Sherbet
Ever since we discovered this delicious sherbet recipe, we’ve been on a sherbet kick. A big one. Lemon, orange, tangerine, and now pomegranate—just in time for Valentine’s Day, should you want something festive and pink. And we have a simple substitution that makes this recipe even easier, if that’s possible.
The original recipe, from The New York Times, calls for freshly squeezed tangerine (or any fruit) juice. That’s all well and good, but we’ve tried it a few times with store-bought juice—still fresh-squeezed, just not by us—and it’s just as amazing. And fast. We buy pint-sized bottles of fresh-squeezed juice (like the ones you might pick up with your lunch) and have sherbet a few hours later.
So, for this version we used POM and upped the sugar a tiny bit, since POM is pretty tart. We weren’t expecting such a deep pink color. How pretty is that? We think it would look really good next to a fudge brownie.
Pomegranate Sherbet
adapted from The New York Times
makes about three cups
2 tablespoons water
1/2 teaspoon gelatin
1 1/2 cups POM juice
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
pinch salt
1/2 cup heavy cream
Put the water in a small saucepan and sprinkle the gelatin over the top. Let it sit for a few minutes, then turn the heat on low. After a minute or two, swirl the pan. When the gelatin no longer looks grainy, pour in the POM juice. Add the sugar and salt. Whisk gently until the sugar is fully dissolved.
Transfer the juice mixture to a bowl and refrigerate until chilled (it shouldn’t have been hot, just luke warm, so this should take no more than a couple of hours). Stir in the cream. Freeze in an ice cream maker until soft and fluffy, then put it in the freezer to firm.
(Image: Elizabeth Passarella)