preserved mandarin sorbet

preserved mandarin sorbet

If you are familiar with Chinese sweets, you may know about preserved mandarin/tangerine peel. It's similar to what some call crack seed snacks. This sweet and salty preserved fruit candy is a childhood favourite of mine. For November's salt-themed International Incident Party hosted by Jeroxie, I decided to go with this preserved mandarin peel idea. I thought about just making the sweet itself, but midway through, changed my mind, skipped the drying process and made a sorbet instead!

The brand of preserved mandarin peel I grew up with is Jiabao, so I had a look at their list of ingredients first to check what I would need to reproduce a similar flavour. I then came up with the following recipe(s)...

mandarin peels in salt solution. this was before the addition of sugar and licorice root powder.

Note: If mandarins aren't in season, oranges should be a serviceable substitute.

preserved mandarin peel

- thin pieces of peel from one big mandarin/tangerine
- 1/2 tablespoon coarse salt (I used coarse sea salt with no additives)
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 3 to 4 tablespoons mandarin juice
- 1 teaspoon licorice root powder

Pack mandarin peel in a small jar. (take care to use jars that won't corrode with acid and salt. I used a glass jar with a plastic lid.)

Add salt to the peels, then mandarin juice. The peels should be all submerged in the liquid. Shake to dissolve some of the salt.

Leave in a cool dark place at room temperature and shake the jar a couple times a day (or more often if you like!).

After a few days, retrieve peel from jar, still leaving the salt solution in the jar.

Bring to boil then simmer the peel in 1/2 cup water, 1 teaspoon licorice root powder and 1 tablespoon sugar until the liquid is reduced to approximately a quarter, i.e. 1/8 cup or 2 tablespoons of thick syrup.

Add the peel and licorice sugar syrup back to the jar with the salt solution. I let it cool before putting the lid back on and then stored it for several more days in the fridge, letting the flavours seep in.

So that's my very small portion of preserved mandarin peel. You can probably even use the syrup like a cordial and make iced drinks with it. Or, continue on like I did, and make the sorbet!

this refreshing mandarin sorbet will even replenish your electrolytes!

salted mandarin sorbet with preserved mandarin peel

1 + 1/2 cups mandarin juice
1/4 cup caster sugar
the salty-sweet peels and syrup from the recipe above
1 tablespoon triple sec (optional)

In a saucepan combine 1/2 cup mandarin juice and all the sugar and simmer, stirring until all dissolved, and remove from heat. Add to the rest of the mandarin juice.

Blend/process/chop the salty-sweet peels until they are tiny pieces. Add into the sugary mandarin juice.
Add 1 tablespoon triple sec as well, if using.

Slowly add in the salty-sweet preserving syrup, stirring, until the balance of sweet and salty flavours are to your liking - you can use just some of it, or you can use it all.

Freeze the concoction in an ice cream maker, if you have one. I didn't, so went the old-fashion route by beating the mixture up every few hours. I'm yet to perfect the art of making a smooth sorbet without an ice cream maker, as you can see from the pictures. However, I'm still patting myself on the back for this creation. The sorbet does have that preserved mandarin peel flavour to it and it was sweet, salty and refreshing. Mission accomplished!

salted mandarin sorbet with preserved mandarin peel

my fellow salt partiers!


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elderflower, cucumber & rosemary granita

When I went to Tasmania last year, I chanced upon elderflower cordial at Salamanca Market. I purchased a hot elderflower tea to go and instantly fell in love with the delicate floral taste of elderflowers, which, to me, is also reminiscent of lychees, one of my favourite fruits. Recently I have been thinking about revisiting elderflower cordial again, and in a stroke of glorious serendipity, the grocery store I frequent started stocking it. Yay!

Elderflower cordial is lovely in a simple drink with just iced or hot water, and I've drank several glasses since I procured myself a bottle. But I wanted to do something a little fancy with it as well, while still keeping things fairly uncomplicated, so I decided to try making an elderflower granita. Having recently discovered the cool, clean taste of cucumber in cocktails, I thought that a cucumber element could work very nicely here. I was keen to throw in some rosemary too, because I love its fragrance, and I don't use it nearly often enough in my kitchen adventures. So that settles it: a light and refreshing elderflower, cucumber and rosemary granita, perfect as a palate cleanser or a light dessert.

elderflower, cucumber and rosemary granita

A few notes on the following recipe. Cordials can vary by the brand, so do a taste test and adjust ingredients if necessary. The brand I used was Ashbolt, which isn't too sweet, and tastes very fresh, probably thanks to the lemon in the ingredients. With the cucumber, I used purée, but if you want your ice crystals pure and clear, use juice. I actually didn't use the optional lime/lemon or gin - they were just possibilities I thought could be worth exploring. Finally, opt for a shallow container as that will make the mixture easier to freeze and scrape, but also remember the ice crystals will end up requiring almost twice the space of the liquid, so accommodate for that.

elderflower, cucumber and rosemary granita recipe:

11/2 cups elderflower cordial
1 cup cucumber purée or juice
1/2 cup rosemary infusion (this requires 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary, or 1 teaspoon dried)
squeezes of lime or lemon juice, to taste (optional)
a few dashes of gin (optional)

- Make the rosemary infusion: bring 1/2 cup water to boil, add two sprigs of fresh rosemary, remove from heat and leave to steep for half an hour. I also bruised the rosemary sprigs with a spoon to release more flavour.
- Meanwhile, juice or blend the cucumber with the elderflower cordial. I threw in a few rosemary leaves here to blend as well for added visual effect.
- Combine elderflower cordial, cucumber juice, rosemary infusion (sprigs removed), and the optional gin and lime/lemon juice (if using) in a container.
- Cover container and place in the freezer. When it starts setting, break up the ice crystals with a fork every couple of hours to produce chunky little ice crystals, guiding them towards the centre. Do this until completely frozen. Alternatively, if you don't mind a slushier texture and have a food processor, an easier method would be to freeze the mixture as ice cubes, and process them the next day.

The result? An elegant, pale green granita that is sweet, subtle, and surprisingly soothing to the senses... sublime, even.

elderflower, cucumber and rosemary granita in a mini cucumber bowl

Additional note: I had more from the freezer in the following days and I'm still in love with this. Even as an icy dessert, it smells amazing the moment I open it up. I think this could be my most favourite creation so far!

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