#9 Orange Sherbet with Chocolate Chips

In Arcata, CA there's a 24 hour eatery / truck stop called Tony's where they make the most amazing milkshakes. And they make these milkshakes in almost every flavor you could ever want. My favorite flavor is mint chocolate chip (there is no other for me)! My good (totally awesome) friend Nikki's favorite flavor is chocolate orange. Sometimes, late at night, we would make Tony's runs for milkshakes and fries. Dipping fries into milkshakes was the thing to do back then. Maybe it still is! Give it a try sometime.

This week's ice cream experiment is a tribute to Nikki's favorite flavor. The result is a tasty and sharp orange sherbet accentuated with semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Let me first ask the question: what is a sherbet? Definitions differ but according to Princeton's WordNet a sherbet is "a frozen dessert made primarily of fruit juice and sugar, but also containing milk or egg-white or gelatin." So, is what I made really a sherbet? I have no idea. The FDA classifies ice creams, sherbets, and sorbets by a measurement of the amount of butterfat in the final product. I don't really have an easy way to measure that. This website defines different types of ice creams and ice cream like desserts. It states that a sherbet contains only 2% butterfat. Considering I put in a little bit of cream, my sherbet is probably over the 2%. But the taste and texture of this dessert make it seem more like a sherbet than an ice cream to me, so for my purposes today I declare this creation to be a sherbet!

I started off following my basic ice cream recipe, using 1 cup of sugar, etc. but then I decided to change up the milk / cream ratios. This time I added 2 cups of milk and a 1/2 cup of heavy cream. The mixture was scalded and whisked with the immersion blender as per usual. Then I added 2 cups of 100% pure orange juice. I had considered buying a bunch of oranges and juicing them myself, but buying a bottle of pure orange juice was quicker and easier. Only vitamins have been added to this orange juice, so in a sense it makes this sherbet healthy. (I kid...)

After some chilling and churning the final product was accentuated with a layer of semi-sweet chocolate chips. I decided to not mix them directly into the sherbet so that those who just want a pure scoop of orange sherbet will be able to have that option. My first scoop of this sherbet grabbed a few chocolate chips from the surface and mixed them into the scoop as intended.

If you've had orange sherbet before then you probably know what this tastes like. The acidity of the orange juice leaves your taste buds with a slight tingle, but overall the flavor is cool and refreshing. I wish it wasn't so cold out because this would be an excellent ice cream to offset warm days. I will have to make it again this summer. The chocolate chip surprise in the occasional bite completely diversifies the flavor. Chocolate orange is truly a winning combination and likely to put a smile on your face!

A before and after photo? (Sorry about the creepy orange!)