Chocolate Sorbet

Before, when we were hungry in between meals, we'd grab a 100 calorie pack or some other snack that came already made from the store. However, with those options gone, we have now been munching on fruits, nuts or vegetables (my mother is thrilled).

At the end of the first week, I thought about the food that was in the kitchen, and what I had observed us eat. I noticed that our food intake has improved dramatically. I also noticed that we went through oranges like nobody's business. We were definitely being healthier.

But, Matt and I both have a sweet tooth. I won't deny it. Usually after dinner (or lunch, or in the afternoon), one of us would grab some ice cream. More often than not, it was either some low fat fudgcicle or a Weight Watchers 6 oz ice cream cup. Because, you know, we were "watching what we ate." After about a week with no ice cream, no chocolate, no type of sweets at all, I couldn't take it any longer. I had to have SOMETHING sweet in the house.

This chocolate sorbet is intense. No joke. You truly cannot eat more than a half cup serving whether you want to or not. By the time you get to the bottom of the bowl (and sometimes even before then), you feel like you've indulged to the point of gluttony. But that's the point of the good stuff, right? So intense, so good, all you really need is a small amount to feel satisfied. Oh, and the other upside to this sorbet? Since it's pretty much just a combination of chocolate, water and sugar (barely no fat at all to keep it soft), it freezes completely solid and you get a great arm workout trying to scoop it out of the container!

Chocolate Sorbet
Barely adapted from David Lebovitz's The Perfect Scoop

2 1/4 cups water
200 g sugar
75 g unsweetened cocoa powder
Pinch of salt
4 oz semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a large saucepan, whisk together 1 1/2 cups water with the sugar, cocoa and salt. Bring it to a boil, whisking frequently, and keep it there for about 45 seconds (when he says a large saucepan, he's not kidding--this mixture starts to rise!).

Remove it from the heat and stir in the chocolate until it's melted, then the vanilla extract and the remaining 3/4 cup water. Transfer to a blender and blend for 15 seconds (and don't jump when the warm mixture hits the top and somehow sneaks out a bit to cover your hand--just lick it up and keep going). Chill the mixture thoroughly (I just went ahead and stuck the blender in the fridge), then run it through your ice cream machine.