Simple Buttermilk Pineapple Sorbet

Fresh pineapples are one of my favorite fruits to have around. Not only are they good looking just sitting there, but the fruit itself is absolutely delicious and the fronds can be used to garnish various desserts and cocktails, too! I buy whole pineapples on a regular basis and use them to make pineapple upside down cakes, smoothies and fruit salads. They also make excellent sorbets. This Buttermilk Pineapple Sorbet uses just four ingredients, yet produces a wonderfully refreshing dessert that is perfect for hot summer days.

You will first need to prepare your pineapple by cutting off the outer skin and removing the core at the center, but the sorbet base takes just minutes to prepare from start to finish. Once you’ve put in the work, you’ll be rewarded by an absolutely fantastic sorbet. The pineapple is blended with sugar and buttermilk in the food processor until it is very smooth and all the sugar has been dissolved. The high speed of the food processor helps the sugar to dissolve, even without adding heat! In fact, you don’t want to add heat to the fresh pineapple because it will change the flavor of the fruit a bit and the sorbet just won’t be the same.

You’ll taste a lot of the pineapple, but its bright fruity flavor is balanced by a wonderful butteriness from the buttermilk. The pineapple has some natural acidity that is almost neutralized by the tang of the buttermilk, which makes the sorbet feel especially creamy. I added in a bit of vanilla extract, which compliments the buttermilk well and simply helps make the sorbet a bit more complex.

The sorbet can be made in an ice cream maker, but it can also be made without one. If you don’t have an ice cream maker, you can pour the sorbet base into a shallow baking dish (8×8 or 9×9 pan, preferably pyrex) and place it in the freezer. After 1-2 hours, give the partially frozen sorbet a good stir with a fork to break up the larger ice crystals. Repeat the stirring process once more, after another 30-45 minutes, then allow the sorbet to freeze completely overnight. The resulting sorbet will still be nice and creamy, only a bit less so than sorbet churned in a regular ice cream maker, and it will still be absolutely delicious.

And, just in case you’re wondering, this can be made with canned pineapple that is packed in juice or with frozen pineapple chunks (defrosted). But I highly recommend sticking to fresh pineapple for the best results with this one!

Buttermilk Pineapple Sorbet
16-oz fresh pineapple
2/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and whizz until mixture is smooth and all of the sugar has been dissolved, 60-90 seconds. Pour mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s directions.

Serves 6-8.

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