My latest obsession is America’s Test Kitchen. The TV series, the books, the website, I simply cannot get enough of it. Which is kind of odd, because until recently I was…. how should I put it… a bit “cold” about Christopher Kimball. The convoluted nature of their recipes used to irritated me, as they go on and on about every single variable tested in their kitchen until the elusive best recipe is found. But our friend Steve (my certified saffron-provider) recommended the show, and knowing him, I had to give it a try. Long story short, I am slightly addicted. The recipes always work, which is saying a lot. Chances are that for many recipes you will dirty every single pot you own, but… you won’t be disappointed. First one I tried: raspberry sorbet. Their goal was to come up with a sorbet with excellent texture, just the right amount of sweetness, and one that would not freeze rock solid. The recipe is a bit involved (what else is new, ATK?), but once I tried my first spoonful, I was in raspberry bliss… And you can be there too!
THE ULTIMATE RASPBERRY SORBET
Recipe Overview: To keep the formation of ice crystals to a minimum, their trick is making the sorbet base and dividing it in two unequal parts. A small amount of the base is placed in the freezer, and later churned together with the very cold liquid part reserved in the fridge. A little bit of no-sugar pectin is also added to improve texture. The result is mind-blowing good!
For the full recipe, please visit this link at America’s Test Kitchen. You might have to register with the site to see their recipes, but it is a small price to pay for the opportunity to surf through their huge collection.
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Isn’t the color of the raspberry mixture intoxicatingly beautiful? And matching the color of our Vitamix was a happy coincidence…
This recipe forced me to do something that a couple of years ago I said “never ever again for as long as I live“. Oh, well. I can change my mind as easily as I change my nail polish. I said before but it’s worth repeating: pushing raspberry puree through a sieve is not for sissies.
The base divided in two portions, one ready for the freezer…
Great to the last spoonful….
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ONE YEAR AGO: Crispy Cornmeal Sweet Potato Fries
TWO YEARS AGO: Pan-grilled Tilapia with Smoked Paprika & Avocado Cream
THREE YEARS AGO: Golden Saffron and Fennel Loaf
FOUR YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen, July 2011
FIVE YEARS AGO: Heavenly Homemade Fromage Blanc
SIX YEARS AGO: A Perfect Sunday Dinner
Bewitching Kitchen 
Ha ha on pushing puree through a sieve! I do have a membership as well as for Cook’s Country and Cook’s Illustrated. I have resisted the allure of the super deluxe membership to have access to all of their cookbook recipes, mostly because I have most of their cookbooks, ha ha. The only thing I tweak is the spiciness of their savory dishes, which I up. Their podcast is pretty good too. =) Gorgeous sorbet!
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I am not sure I wanted to know about their podcast. I will move away from the computer now, and pretend that I did not see that bit in your comment.. (quadruple heavy sigh) 😉
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What beautiful colour.
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I agree… it is mesmerizing, isn’t it?
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why dont you give us the recipe? i dont want to sign up with atk…..
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I don’t give the recipe in this case because ATK has a pretty strict policy about it – they feel that they go through so much testing and trouble to perfect a recipe that they specify clearly their recipes should not be published. One can disagree – in fact many bloggers ignore their request – on the basis of a list of ingredients not being subject to copyright issues, but I rather respect their policies. I tried to get permission to publish the recipe, but never got a return. Sent emails, contacted their Facebook page and called on the phone. FInally, I decided to simply include a link… I am sure you can get the recipe without registering, as a guest. THey allow that for first comers, maybe you can get by without registration for a few recipes.
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Oh yum! We’re also recent converts to CI, though neither of us can stand Kimball. As for sieving the puree, lucky for me, Peter has hung on to an ancient Cuisinart FP that has a sieve attachment — a lifesaver, come jam/jelly/catsup season.
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Sieve attachment? OH, MY! A life changer gadget! Mine doesn’t have it, but it is a pretty old Cuisinart… one wonders….. Santa Claus, perhaps?
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I was interested to see you added fruit pectin as a stabiliser (to produce a smooth texture). Nice sorbet and beautiful colour.
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I was also very intrigued by it. I must say I’ve never had a raspberry sorbet with such great texture, not even in store bought sorbets. Spectacular!
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Several years ago Cooks Illustrated first advised freezing a portion of the batter in an ice cream recipe. Folding it into the refrigerated remainder of the base dropped the overall temperature, allowing it to set up faster when churned. Which means faster freezing, which means larger crystals, which means creamier texture, which means NO I’M NOT SHARING GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY ICE CREAM I’M EATING IT ALL! Which it seems also applies to sorbet. Yay!
I push my raspberries through a drum tamis with a pastry scraper to de-seed them, which I think works easier than a sieve. The larger surface area and even scraping field, y’know. But I’m thinking the KitchenAid “fruit and vegetable strainer” attachment I bought when wifey got walloped with diverticulitis might be even better still. I was pretty impressed with how fine the particulates it was able to filter out were. I mean, she didn’t die (whether or not that’s a mixed blessing I’ll leave to you). Hmmmm. Maybe I’ll give it a try. Shoot me out your address – I’ll mail you a sample. You may have to eat it with a straw by the time it reaches you, but hey. It’s free, right?
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Had to google “drum tamis” as I was ignorant of the issue…. 😉
very interesting gadget, I can see how it would work better
I hope your wife doesn’t read my blog! 😉
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You think I’d marry a woman who can read? Any woman smart enough to do that would be too smart to marry me. So, no fear she’ll ever find this.
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Sorry, I should have guessed it. You are a smart man and makes wise choices in everything, including how to pass fruit through a sieve! 😉
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You learn well, Young Jedi 🙂
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Did you call me? 😉
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Wow. Running works!
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I’m just loving the photo of you guys at the top of your post..what’s that about sorbet? X
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Do you see something I don’t see????? Now I am worried… very VERY worried..
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I read your post via the reader and there’s a photo of you and a man eating sorbet…? Is that not meant to be there?
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How odd, I’m now looking via your website and the photo isn’t there?!
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Amazing… that was in ONE draft of the post way before publication, but Phil objected to it, said he did not want to have his photo in the post. So I removed it… oh, well… you are the lucky one who got to see that photo – I loved it…
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It’s a great photo 🙂 x
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THank you…. 😉
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xx
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It is a great photograph! I an ATK addict too, but I do agree the recipes tend to be complicated, but do work.
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At least that, right? They do work! 😉
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I love when a show is both engaging and informative and focuses on a topic that is normally problematic (I can relate to the freeze rock hard issue) — I am desperately trying to recall the name of the food history show I was watching during our flight home… it was more like a food documentary (not the usual drama) and just brilliant. Clearly, I need to start watching more TV 😀 — this sorbet sounds delicious; just the right amount of sweetness and yes, the ideal texture. Perfect for our hot summer days! What a pretty colour too.
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Oh, now I am curious about the show you saw…. I love this type of stuff too…
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I share your feelings about ATK – and I also adore a sublime raspberry sorbet – so I am on board to give this a try. It looks fabulous.
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I am sure you will be very pleased by the texture AND taste – really a wonderful recipe!
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Your scoop almost looks like a rose. How gorgeous! I love the color and I LOVE the flavor. This would be fought over in our house for sure! The recipe seems straight forward enough. Think I might give this a shot soon. A nice little summer treat. 🙂
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I hope you give this recipe a try, Kristy, it was one of the best sorbets we’ve ever had! Seriously! (safe travels… 😉
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