One of the many things that grows well in San Diego County is oranges. There are many orange groves in the more rural parts of our county. This is a prime time of year for buying juicy perfectly ripened oranges.
I bought several pounds of Valencia oranges at one of the local farmers market. The oranges actually turned out to be too juicy! Whenever I tried to peel one my hands would be covered in juice. So I decided to put that juice to good use and make Valencia orange sorbet.
I really wish I had more pictures. I always think that after I am done. I should have taken some pictures of the oranges.
I first made a simple syrup. First, place water and sugar in a small pot. Over medium heat, boil until the sugar dissolves. How long this takes depends on how much you are making. Once the sugar is fully incorporated into the water, remove the pot from the heat and allow to cool.
While the simple syrup is cooling, juice the oranges. I ended up with 2 cups of orange juice, so I doubled the recipe.
Mix the juice into the simple syrup. I like to put the juice mixture into the refrigerator to get cold. This isn’t mandatory, but I think it makes the Valencia orange sorbet chill better in the ice cream mixer.
Place the juice mixture into an ice cream mixture and churn according to the manufacturer instructions.
The oranges I used were very sweet, so this ended up being a sweet Valencia orange sorbet. There was a bit of a citrus tanginess, but not much.
Valencia Orange Sorbet
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup fresh orange juice
Instructions
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the water and sugar, and boil until the sugar dissolves, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Stir in the orange juice.
- Transfer to ice cream maker and churn according to manufacturer instructions.
- When the sorbet has frozen (it will still seem quite soft), transfer to a storage container, cover tightly and freeze until ready to serve. The sorbet will solidify in the freezer.
Such a bright orange juice. I bet if was delicious.
If you want more tang, next time, add the juice of half a lemon, taste (add more if needed) and go from there.
That is a good idea. Maybe I will do that this weekend.
We love oranges, but they don’t grow in Alaska so we don’t get them often. Next time we do though, we’re going to try this! Thanks for sharing.
I would imagine they are pretty expensive due to shipping costs
Decent store bought orange juice might work if nothing else is available.
Looks like I need to put my teenagers to work on this in the coming weekend.