Cook: Mango Sorbet

The recent temperatures in NYC have kept me from baking.  However, there are plenty of desserts that don't require turning on an oven.  This mango sorbet is tart and refreshing on a hot summer day.  If you have an ice cream churn, this can be ready in under an hour.  Without a churn, it takes a bit more dedication. 

If you haven't handled whole mangoes in the past, be cautious -- they're in the same family, anacardiaceae, as poison ivy and poison sumac -- the peel can cause skin irritation in some people!




Mango Sorbet
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 5 hours (1 hour w/ a churn)
Yield: 1.5 quarts

2 mangoes, peeled and halved
juice of 0.5 lemon
juice of 1 valencia orange
2 cups castor sugar
3 cups water


(1) In a small sauce pan, dissolve sugar in 2 cups water over low heat

(2) Bring sugar/water mixture to a boil and simmer for about 2 minutes (this makes a "simple syrup"); remove from heat and let cool for at least 10 mintues; the syrup should be clear

(3) Puree mangoes with 1 cup water, lemon and orange juice

(4) Strain mango puree through a fine mesh sieve

(5) Either (A) Place into an ice cream churn and follow your machine's instructions or (B) Spread mango mixture in a large baking dish and continue to step (5)

(6) Mix in cooled simple syrup

(7) Taste; add more sugar or lemon juice if necessary

(8) Cover and cool in refrigerator for 1 hour; taste again

(9) Freeze for at least 4 hours, covered; for the first 2 hours remove from freezer every 30 minutes, scrape sides of dish and re-puree with an immersion blender or hand mixer

(10) Scoop and enjoy!

Notes:  Castor sugar is a type of super-fine sugar used in baking.  If you can't find it, you can use granulated sugar.  However, you need to make sure that all of the sugar has dissolved in the water before it begins to boil, otherwise the syrup will not form properly.  If you don't have an immersion blender or hand mixer, you can transfer the mixture to a blender or food processor, pulse several times, then return the mixture to the baking dish.  Regardless of the method you use, be sure to thoroughly scrape the frozen sections from the sides of the dish.  The re-pureeing insures that the ice crystals that are forming in the freezing process are not too large.  If you mix by hand instead of with a blender, you'll end up with a larger ice crystal, and technically a mango granita.