Cranberry Orange Sorbet

Nothing says fall and holidays more to me than seeing cranberries appear at the grocery store. I buy lots and store them in the freezer, because other than a few short weeks in November and December, I never, ever see them. So, actually this recipe was made with a bag of cranberries frozen last year! I am trying to use them up, as I start to buy more this year.

If you are looking for something different to do with cranberries, you have come to the right place. This was amazing. When you first taste this, all you taste is sweet and it tastes like a regular sorbet, but then after you swallow, you get the tartness of the cranberries. It is a very sophisticated flavor. It might even be my very favorite recipe out of my very favorite ice cream book, Perfect Scoop: Ice Creams, Sorbets, Granitas, and Sweet Accompaniments by David Lebovitz.

It even took a little more work then I usually attempt. I even got out my food mill. But it was so worth it!

Cranberry Orange Sorbet

1 1/2 cups of cranberries, fresh or frozen
1 cup water
3/4 cup sugar
grated zest from 1 orange
1 1/2 cups orange juice (the recipe calls for fresh, I juiced the one orange that I zested and then just used orange juice from the carton in my fridge)
1 to 2 teaspoons Grand Marnier or Cointreau (optional, but I used it!!)

Heat the cranberries, water, sugar, and the orange zest in a non-reactive pan until the liquid starts to boil. Boil for 1 minute, remove the pan from the heat, cover it, and let it sit for 30 minutes.

Pass the cranberries through a food mill (using a fine disk) (mine doesn’t have disks, so I don’t know if it was fine or not), or puree them in a blender and then strain the puree through a sieve to remove large pieces of cranberry skin. Stir in the orange juice and the liqueur.

Chill then freeze in your ice cream maker according to it’s instructions.