Mango Sorbet, Kiwi Sorbet

Two more sorbet recipes today.   I know of only a few more that I want to do. Those are grape, plum, and maybe cantaloupe.

The basic recipe for these two you can probably already guess based on previous posts. But there is a key difference between the two recipes that will be pointed out below. 

Let's start with the kiwi sorbet.  As are all my sorbet recipes, it is inspired by Chef Suzuki-san of Maido Kushiyaki and Wine. That link will take you to his blog page in the sorbet category. He has about 10 pages worth of blog entries devoted to sorbets (at the bottom of each page there is a "next" in easy to miss small print)

Kiwi Sorbet Recipe:

- 10 kiwis ~plus or minus
- 3/4 cup sugar
- zest of one lime
- juice of one lime

- 1/2 cup yuzu-shu
- One cup water
- 1 tbsp Cointreau

Yuzu-shu is like umeshu except its made from the yuzu fruit instead of Japanese plums. It's packed with a fresh lemon/orange/grapefruit flavor and makes an excellent addition to just about any sorbet if you want to spike it with some alcohol. A very similar replacement, if yuzu is not available, is limoncello. You could also just add yuzu juice, as I show in the mango recipe below.

The kiwi recipe diverges from the other sorbet recipes I've done before. Usually they all add some jello or clear gelatin. But the recipe by Suzuki-san did not list the ingredient this time. Maybe it was an omission or oversight?

By writing this blog I've learned a lot of new information. Some useful some not, but all of it interesting. Kiwis have a large quantity of an enzyme called actinidain.  It is very good at breaking down proteins.  It will also break down the proteins in gelatin, preventing the gelatin from becoming solid.  And for that reason, there's no gelatin added to kiwi sorbet.

Other interesting-ness - Kiwis grow on vines. They used to be called Chinese Gooseberries.  There are male and female kiwi plants with the females bearing the fruit of course. Only one male is needed for about every five females. Hmm, that sounds like a good ratio.

I bought the kiwi at AVE grocery store.

Start by peeling the kiwi and taking the center white core out. I ate them all and they tasted good, so there would probably be no problem throwing them into the food processor too. 

Zest a lime and then add the zest and the juice to the blender. Add one tablespoon of Cointreau. This can be omitted if you'd like, but it's an excellent flavoring.

Blend until nice and smooth. Then add the yuzu-shu to your liking.  In the back you can see the water and sugar heating to dissolve the sugar. After the mixture cools a bit, add it to the mix and blend.

Add to a suitable container with a lid. If you make it during the day, as it starts to freeze keep mixing it to add air and make it light and airy. If you make it in the evening or forget to blend it as it freezes, then you'll use the food processor technique to make it smooth.

If it did get frozen into one big block, cut it up and add it to the food processor to make it smooth.

Add it back to the storage container to freeze. It's now ready to enjoy.

A nice twist or addition to this recipe (or most of the any other sorbet recipe) would be to take some candied yuzu skin and add that to the food processor with the fruit. Below is a package. I found this particular one in a snack store in Mikasa mall. Above yuzu ゆず is "sonomanma." This means, as it is or without change, meaning it's just natural yuzu with sugar of course. Underneath the "yuzu" it says "sweet and sour."

Candied Yuzu

Mango Sorbet Recipe:

- 6 medium size mangos ~plus or minus
- 3/4 cup sugar
- zest of one lime
- juice of one lime

- 1 to 2 tablespoons yuzu juice (from a bottle)
- One cup water
- 1 tbsp Cointreau
- One 5g pack of Jellice or small package of clear gelatin

Good and reasonably priced mangoes can be difficult to find in Japan. There are the $20 mangoes and I'm sure they are good, but that would make for an expensive batch of sorbet. I found these also at AVE market. If you buy cheap mangoes they will not have good flavor. So buy something priced in the middle. 

Start by zesting the lime.

Cut the mango open. If you're not familiar with mangoes, they have a large seed. So slice down along each side of the mango seed to end up with three pieces, one of which contains the seed. Scoop out the flesh with a spoon from the two sides and from the seed and add it to the food processor. Be careful not to get any mango skin as it's very bitter.

Add the lime zest and the juice of the lime to the mix as well.  Add the mango to the container you'll use for freezing.

Heat up the water and sugar to dissolve the sugar. Add the 5g Jellice package. If you're in Japan you can find Jellice in Japanese grocery stores. Once it is near boiling (important to break down the gelatin molecules) remove from the heat and let it cool down a bit.

Add the water with dissolved sugar, dissolved gelatin, and yuzu juice to the mango and mix until smooth with a spoon. Then freeze it overnight or keep stirring it during the day as it freezes (to aerate). 

Take the frozen block and cut it up just like in the kiwi recipe above. Add it to the food processor to make it nice and smooth. Add it back to the storage container after stealing a few bites.

Finished product