This deep, dark chocolate sorbetto is so rich and thick, it’s hard to believe there is no dairy in it. There is so much chocolate in it that, while it’s smooth and delicious straight out of the maker, if you let it sit in the freezer for more than an hour or so, it becomes so hard you’d have to use a chisel to get a bite. Cacao nibs are the dry, toasted pieces of cacao beans left after the husks have been removed. I like them for the crunch and the bitter cocoa flavor they add. Cacao nibs are available in the baking section of specialty markets and from online sources, but if you can’t find them, your sorbetto will still be good plain and smooth.
Recipe information
Yield
makes 1 quart
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Fill a large bowl with ice water and set a smaller bowl inside. Set a fine-mesh strainer in the smaller bowl. Whisk the cornstarch with 1 cup of the water in a medium bowl until the cornstarch is dissolved. Combine the sugar, cocoa powder, corn syrup, salt, and the remaining 3 cups of water in a medium (4-quart) saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Turn off the heat and add the cornstarch and water mixture in a steady stream, whisking constantly. Return the saucepan to high heat and cook the sorbetto base, stirring constantly with the whisk, until it thickens to the consistency of pudding, 3 to 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in the chopped chocolate and the whiskey.
Step 2
Pour the sorbetto base through the strainer into the bowl set over the ice water and set aside to cool to room temperature. Transfer the base to an airtight container and refrigerate for at least several hours and up to three days.
Step 3
Remove the sorbetto base from the refrigerator and pour it into the bowl of an ice cream or gelato maker. Spin the base according to the machine instructions until it has thickened considerably and is nearly done. With the machine still running, add the cacao nibs, if you are using them, and spin the sorbetto for another minute or two to distribute them evenly. Serve the sorbetto straight from the maker or transfer it to an airtight container and place it in the freezer until you’re ready to serve it. Serve the sorbetto within a few hours of spinning it, before it hardens.
