But! It gets better! Not only was the dessert food allergy-friendly, it was also chemist-friendly! Yes! As you know, as do others, my mother is a chemist and, of the total of 12 people that came to Thanksgiving, she invited not one, but two, chemists. Yes! One quarter of our Thanksgiving crowd were chemists! Nerd alert! And most of the rest of the crowd was under 32 and not-chemists. How to bridge the gap? I know!: Let the chemists show off a bit and marvel at something that seems magical to a regular person. Enter: invert sugar.
That's what it looks like and you make it. It's like having your very own personal Mr. Wizard show in your kitchen. What does it do? It makes your sorbet smooth and creamy and it will never freeze super-hard and will always be scoopable—it makes your sorbet blow its own mind.
But what is it, really? We had several explanations about it over the course of our dinner, one read verbatim from a textbook, and this is what my mother neatly summarizes for our blogging pleasure:
Table sugar is sucrose, which is a disaccharide composed of glucose and fructose. When sucrose is heated in water in slightly acidic conditions (tartaric acid), it splits into the glucose and fructose molecules. The mixture does not crystallize as easily. The name "invert" comes from the fact that sucrose rotates polarized light at a positive angle (α = 66º), while the mixture of glucose and fructose rotates it at a negative angle (α = -22º).
Got it? Ready for a test about that? The part I understand is "The mixture does not crystallize as easily." Truest fact ever.
But what is it, really? We had several explanations about it over the course of our dinner, one read verbatim from a textbook, and this is what my mother neatly summarizes for our blogging pleasure:
Table sugar is sucrose, which is a disaccharide composed of glucose and fructose. When sucrose is heated in water in slightly acidic conditions (tartaric acid), it splits into the glucose and fructose molecules. The mixture does not crystallize as easily. The name "invert" comes from the fact that sucrose rotates polarized light at a positive angle (α = 66º), while the mixture of glucose and fructose rotates it at a negative angle (α = -22º).
Got it? Ready for a test about that? The part I understand is "The mixture does not crystallize as easily." Truest fact ever.
Invert sugar —so scientific, so super-easy
1 1/2 c. water
1 1/2 c. white sugar
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar (this is the acid that will rock the sugar molecule's world)
Simmer all these things together for 30 minutes, then let cool.
Cranberry vanilla sorbet with invert sugar
12 oz. fresh cranberries
1 batch invert sugar
1 c. water
1/2 tsp. salt
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise with seeds scraped out
1/4 c. lemon juice
In a heavy pot over medium heat, bring the berries, water, invert sugar, salt, vanilla bean seeds, and vanilla bean to a boil.
Reduce to low heat, simmer until all the berries pop, about 10 minutes. Stir occasionally.
1 1/2 c. water
1 1/2 c. white sugar
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar (this is the acid that will rock the sugar molecule's world)
Simmer all these things together for 30 minutes, then let cool.
Cranberry vanilla sorbet with invert sugar
12 oz. fresh cranberries
1 batch invert sugar
1 c. water
1/2 tsp. salt
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise with seeds scraped out
1/4 c. lemon juice
In a heavy pot over medium heat, bring the berries, water, invert sugar, salt, vanilla bean seeds, and vanilla bean to a boil.
Reduce to low heat, simmer until all the berries pop, about 10 minutes. Stir occasionally.
Remove the vanilla bean. Puree the mixture. Strain and stir in lemon juice. Chill for a few hours, or overnight.
Put it in your ice cream maker! Ice cream make it!
The sorbet is nice because it's tart like cranberries, but very mellowed out by the vanilla and not too sweet. And the invert sugar—I don't think I need to say anything more about it.
Amazing! i know what will be served in the padgett/schwartz household this holiday season. that is if i can locate my mom's ice cream maker.
ReplyDeleteif you can't find hers, you can borrow mine.
ReplyDeleteafter looking at this again, i'm wondering why the sorbet is in the muffin tins -- did i miss something in the post? also, i'm dreaming of making this with peaches.
ReplyDeleteexcellent question. generally, when you make ice cream at home, it freezes super hard. this makes serving it immediately very desirable, because serving it after having been in the freezer means you have to wait until it defrosts enough to scoop it. you can add things, like gelatin, to your ice cream before freezing to help it freeze less hard. but i find that just portioning out the ice cream, or sorbet, from the beginning eliminates the whole headache: so, the muffin tins. you scoop out the ice cream and it freezes in a size that you want to eat. silicone ones work best because you can just push from the back. if using a real muffin tin, put in the muffin liners so you can get the scoops out without defrosting.
ReplyDeletebut! with the invert sugar, the muffin tin plan was a total disaster because, it turns out, my muffin tin didn't fit in my freezer (because i made a double batch of this sorbet) and because the plan is completely unnecessary because it doesn't freeze hard at ALL with the invert sugar. it's been in the freezer over a week and i can still get a spoon of sorbet out easily.
This looks so delicious! Sadly, I am one of those non-dairy people, so I am always on the lookout for good sorbet recipes. I can't wait to try this.
ReplyDelete