Roasted Rhubarb Sorbet

A recipe for a very refreshing and slightly tart summer sorbet that starts with roasted rhubarb. After roasting the rhubarb briefly in the oven, it is blended with sugar, water, honey and vanilla. The mixture chills in the refrigerator before being churned in an ice cream maker. The result is a surprisingly delicious roasted rhubarb sorbet – the perfect dessert to usher in spring!

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In my neck of the woods, rhubarb is one of the first spring crops to make an entrance. Rhubarb is not a crop that is sought after for making much else other than pie. The dilemma of dealing with it is not just the assertive tartness but also the tough, stringy, somewhat celery-like texture. I find that roasting rhubarb in the oven a bit softens the texture enough to ensure that it blends smoothly. And when it’s blended with sugar, water, honey and a bit of vanilla, roasted rhubarb sorbet is a surprisingly delightful frozen dessert! If you find yourself with a giant bunch of it, I highly recommend this recipe.

HOW THIS RECIPE COMES TOGETHER

• 1. Wash the rhubarb: First, rhubarb stalks are washed and trimmed. It helps to leave the stalks damp when they enter the oven to ensure they steam more than they actually caramelize. This maintains some moisture in the stalks and lends to a smoother puree later.
• 2. Roast the rhubarb. The washed stalks are chopped and spread out in an even layer on a sheet tray. The tray bakes at 400 degrees F for about 20 minutes.
• 3. Blend. After the rhubarb cools to room temperature, blend it with sugar, water, honey and a little vanilla until very smooth.
• 4. Chill. It’s important to chill a sorbet or ice cream mixture before churning. Large ice crystals will be less likely to form after the mixture chills first.
• 5. Churn: Finally the chilled sorbet base is processed in an ice cream machine. The sorbet can be enjoyed straight from the machine or scooped into a container for later.

A DESCRIPTION OF FROZEN DESSERTS

There are many different types of delicious frozen desserts. Here is a breakdown of the most common types and their differences!

• Sorbet: Dairy-free and usually consists of fruit puree mixed with sugar and water.
• Granita: Similar to a sorbet, but with a much coarser and crunchier texture from larger ice crystals.
• Sherbet: Also similar to a sorbet, sherbets usually also contain a small amount of dairy in them along with fruit puree or juice.
• Frozen Yogurt: As the title implies, this is a frozen cultured dairy product with sweeteners and sometimes other flavorings.
• Frozen Custard: Akin to ice cream, but it must contain more egg yolks by weight to be classified as a custard.
• Gelato: A bit denser than ice cream. Gelato consists of more milk, less cream and no eggs.
• Ice Cream: Cream, milk, sweeteners and flavorings. It must be at least 10% milk fat by weight.

INGREDIENTS FOR ROASTED RHUBARB SORBET

• Rhubarb: I recommend finding varieties of fresh rhubarb that have more pink or red color than green. It will make the color of your sorbet much more appealing.
• Sugar: Granulated sugar works best for making sorbets.
• Honey: The honey added to the sorbet puree adds to the creaminess and helps keep it soft, not icy, once it freezes. If you prefer to keep it vegan, replace the honey with corn syrup, brown rice syrup or agave nectar.
• Vanilla: I love using vanilla bean paste in this recipe for extra flavor. Vanilla extract is fine as well. You can also use lemon juice and lemon zest instead of vanilla for a fruitier flavor.