Buttermilk sherbet with blueberries
A gently tangy sherbet made from buttermilk and blueberries. Light, refreshing and surprisingly creamy.
Buttermilk (podmaslie in Slovak, podmáslí in Czech) is a common tangy dairy drink in both countries. It has only about 1 % fat but plenty of milk protein and a pleasant acidity, so it is practically made for sherbet. The blueberries add colour and sweetness. Kefir or runny plain yogurt work the same way.
Type: Sherbet · Servings: 8 · Difficulty: Easy
Equipment
Ingredients
- 300 g bilberries / blueberries (fresh or frozen)
- 170 g granulated sugar (sucrose)
- 30 g dextrose (glucose powder)
- 10 g lemon juice (fresh)
- 450 g buttermilk (cold)
- 40 g whipping cream 33 % (cold)
Making the mix
- Simmer the blueberries with the sugar, dextrose and lemon juice for 3–5 minutes until they burst and the sugar dissolves.
- Blend, press through a sieve if you like, and leave to cool completely.
- Stir in the cold buttermilk and cream.
- Refrigerate the mix for at least 1 hour.
Method — Compressor ice cream maker
- Switch the ice cream maker on 5–10 minutes ahead so the bowl can pre-chill.
- Pour in the chilled mix (no higher than the fill line) and churn for 25–35 minutes until the sherbet is thick and creamy like soft-serve.
- Transfer to a chilled container, cover the surface with cling film and leave to harden in the freezer for 2 hours.
Total time: 4 h 20 min
Method — Freezer-bowl ice cream maker
- Take the frozen bowl out of the freezer just before use, fit the paddle and switch the machine on.
- With the machine running, pour in the well-chilled mix — no more than two thirds of the bowl.
- Churn for 20–25 minutes until the sherbet thickens.
- Transfer to a chilled container and leave to harden in the freezer for 3 hours.
Freeze the bowl at least 24 hours ahead. A mix with milk and acidic juice must be thoroughly chilled (to 5 °C or below).
Total time: 5 h 15 min
Method — Ninja CREAMi and similar machines
- Pour the chilled mix into the CREAMi tub up to the MAX line (any extra into a second tub), put the lid on and freeze level for 24 hours.
- Put the tub in the machine and run the Sorbet program.
- If the sherbet is crumbly, run Re-spin (many users add a spoonful of milk first).
Programme: Sorbet (or Lite Ice Cream)
Total time: 25 h 55 min
Stages
- Preparation
- 15 min
- Cooking
- 5 min
- Cooling
- 1 h 30 min
- Churning
- 30 min
- Hardening in the freezer
- 2 h
- Total time
- 4 h 20 min
Serving and storage
Serve with fresh blueberries, a teaspoon of honey (not for children under 1 year) or granola.
Best within 2 weeks, kept in a closed container with cling film on the surface. Do not refreeze once thawed.
Tips
- Fruit and juices vary in sweetness. Taste the mix (it should be sweeter than seems right) or measure it with a refractometer — aim for about 25–28 °Bx — and add more sugar if needed.
- You can replace the buttermilk with kefir or with plain yogurt thinned with milk in a 3 : 1 ratio; a yogurt sherbet will be thicker.
- The blueberries can be swapped for strawberries, raspberries or apricots — but blueberries colour the buttermilk most beautifully.
- The zest of one lemon simmered with the fruit gives the sherbet a fresh aroma.
Why it works
Buttermilk contains almost as much milk solids as milk, but hardly any fat. Its proteins are already partly set by lactic acid, so the mix thickens and the sherbet is creamy even with less than 2 % fat. The natural acidity also brings out the fruit flavour.