Hazelnut Sorbet

The hazelnut sorbet is a delicious and refreshing dessert. I’ll show you how to prepare a homemade version of this sorbet:

Ingredients

• 200 g toasted hazelnuts
• 200 ml water
• 150 g sugar
• 2 tablespoons glucose syrup (or honey for a more natural alternative)
• A pinch of salt

Preparation

1. Start by toasting the hazelnuts in the oven at 180 °C for about 10-12 minutes or until they become golden and aromatic. This step is important to enhance the flavor of the hazelnuts.
2. Once toasted, let them cool and remove most of the dark skin by rubbing them between your hands or in a cloth.
3. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, heat the water with the sugar and glucose syrup (or honey), until the sugar has completely dissolved. This mixture is your base syrup.
4. Let the syrup cool to room temperature.
5. Place the hazelnuts in a food processor and grind until you obtain a smooth paste. You can add a bit of the syrup if necessary to facilitate the process.
6. Combine the hazelnut paste with the cooled syrup and blend together to obtain a homogeneous mixture.
7. Add a pinch of salt and mix well.
8. Transfer the mixture to an ice cream maker and follow the machine’s instructions to churn the sorbet. If you don’t have an ice cream maker, pour the mixture into a suitable freezer container and place it in the freezer. Stir every 30-40 minutes to break up the ice crystals until the sorbet reaches the desired consistency.
9. When the sorbet is ready, let it rest in the freezer for at least 1 hour before serving.

Trivia

The hazelnut sorbet is an indulgent variant that differs from the more common fruit sorbets. Hazelnuts are highly appreciated in Italian cuisine, especially in Piedmont, where they are the main ingredient in many sweet recipes, including the famous gianduja paste.

If you can’t find toasted hazelnuts, you can also use already peeled hazelnuts, toasting them anyway to enhance their flavor. Enjoy your hazelnut sorbet!