15-36: Pear-Orange Sorbet

The photo of this delectable dish is enhanced by the superior dishware chosen to accentuate the fluffiness of the iced desert within. I made 15-36: Pear-Orange Sorbet before a few years ago when we first started this project, but I forgot to take photos. I finally got back to it in January 2019.

The recipe card describes this dish about as well as I could. The ripe pears did have an intense fruity flavor that was intriguing. Can’t beat that.


I wish that I had an ice cream maker on hand for this recipe, but it’s a good thing I don’t have one. I’d probably be making ice cream all of the time. Besides, my freezer is usually pretty full, no room to chill the chamber in it.


These ingredients are so bright and full of flavor. The pears were just right.


I know…I’m using a Publisher’s Clearing House cheap-y orange juicer, but it got the job done and someone gifted it to me for free.


Using this microplane always freaks me out. It is insanely sharp and I almost always cut my finger on it. I need a kevlar or chainmail glove to use it properly. These oranges smelled so good and the rind adds some of the essential oil to the dessert, infusing a deep orange flavor.


Breaking down the pears was easy work with my peeler and apple corer. That apple corer is one of the best uni-tasker tools that we own.


I added the lemon juice and pears to the blender and made pear puree. Then I added the orange juice and rind and blended it all together.


Next, I’m making the simple syrup. 2/3 cup water and 2/3 cup sugar go into the pan and I started whisking until it started boiling.


Voila! It’s boiling. The sugar dissolved by now so I pulled this off the heat and let it cool. It took a few minutes during which I cleaned up a little.


Time to add the simple syrup to the blender. A rare action shot!


The final touch is a splash of Grand Marnier. One for you, one for me!


The Vitamix makes quick work of blending everything together!


This container just barely fit in my freezer. I left the mix in there for a few days. Some days I forgot it was up there, other days I wasn’t in the mood. After I picked up some coconut whipped topping, I got inspired to try this dish with a little whip on top.


Time to bring out the big guns. The food processor will blend this rock solid chunk of juice into a fluffy delicious sorbet. I had to run the container under hot water to get the edges to release and it all came out in one piece.


I snapped the disc in two pieces so it would fit into the bowl. Time to process!


So fluffy! Such light. Very whipped. Speaking of whipped….


Coco Whip stands in pretty well for a dairy free alternative to the brand name whipped topping that contains dairy. The sorbet looks frozen over because I put it back in the freezer after I whipped it up and this is what it looks like upon being served a second time from the original container. The mix is still light and fluffy, just tighter packed that when it was freshly whipped. The juice that leached out was super boozey.


Served with a generous dollop of Coco Whip, this sorbet really delivers an orange and pear flavored alcohol bomb to your tongue. It’s great.


I included the spoon in this shot for scale to show that a little bit of this dish goes a long way. We had this for dessert a couple of times and it did get a little blah the third time around. Good in small doses, make it for a party so you can serve it fresh to everyone. This is a sweet and cool treat that is low on calories, good for those of you who are counting like myself.

GRADE: A-