Coconut-Mint Sorbet with Chocolate Freckles

I was looking for this recipe this morning and realized that it wasn't posted here.. this one comes from the super fantastic "Batchworks Sorbet" in Roberts Creek, BC (definitely worth a visit!)

Now that I read this over again, I see there are a few steps I haven't quite followed correctly in the past - on a couple of occasions, that has led to ice cream soup disaster, but on the whole whenever I make this it is incredibly delicious and well-loved!

Ultimately the best way to avoid disaster is to make sure everything is well-chilled before you try to do the churning step.  This means that it's better to make this at home than to try to transport your ingredients and ice cream maker to someone else's house - if the ice cream maker and/or the ingredients are above a certain critical temperature at the time of churning, then it will never work!  I will type up the original recipe here, not the shortcut version that has been mostly successful for me.

I also highly recommend chilling the serving bowls because this sorbet is best when it's fresh but it will start to melt quickly while you're trying to eat it, and so it is best to stall that process as much as possible.

Ingredients

3/4 c sugar
3/4 c water
400mL can of coconut milk
1/2 bunch fresh mint, chopped
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 oz bittersweet dark chocolate

Directions

Step 0. (Optional Katie addition in case you want to take a shortcut later) - Give the can of coconut milk a good shake and put in the refrigerator to chill it. Leave it there until you need it later in this recipe.

Simple syrup mixture with mint added

1. Bring the sugar and water to boil in a medium saucepan. Boil for 2 minutes then add the fresh chopped mint. Cool completely. Chill in the fridge for 2-24 hours.
   
2. In a blender, add the coconut milk to the water/sugar/mint mixture.
3. Blend on high for 2 minutes. (optional: push through a strainer to remove chunks of mint - I've never bothered with this step). Add vanilla.
4. Chill mixture well (if you've pre-chilled your coconut milk, you can just carry on to step 5).
5. Put the mixture in an ice cream maker and churn as per directions.  Once the sorbet is churned, put in a suitable somewhat shallow container (recipe calls for a "rectangular shaped tub", but I use a flat-bottomed metal bowl) and place in the freezer to get the sorbet nice and cold. This will take about 20 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, over a double boiler, melt the dark chocolate. While the chocolate is still hot, drizzle it with a spoon in a thin line over top of the sorbet. Let it harden and then mix it in. Add enough drizzles until it is nicely freckled.



Freckling in progress..

7. Place the sorbet in a cold freezer for at least 30 minutes.  Cover the top with plastic wrap to prevent ice crystals from forming. Let stand at room temperature 10 minutes before serving.

mmm... time to get my mint mixture made so we can feast tonight!