How to Plate a Gorgeous Dessert Using Sorbet

We can’t wait to serve delicious sorbet spectacularly (but still easy!). 

Victoria: I’ve been buying, serving, and enjoying Cream Sorbet and Gelato for years–whenever I pick up some quarts for Shabbat from Cream in Lakewood, I feel like I have my own little gourmet dessert secret.

So when Renee was hired to style photos for Cream’s new kosher-for-Pesach line and came home raving, I was like, “Join the fan club!” She told me about how she tasted the sorbet straight out of the machine during the shoot–and you know that Renee grew up in Switzerland, right near the Italian border–so she knows. Aron told me that after her taste, Renee was on the phone, speaking in Italian with her mother, and she told her, “Sai cosa ho appena assaggiato?!?” which means, “Do you know what I just tasted?!?”

But, after the shoot, Renee had another idea:

What if we show Between Carpools readers how to use Cream sorbets to plate gorgeous desserts? It’s a win-win. You can buy this amazing sorbet (by the way, there’s dairy gelato too, enjoy it all week long during Chol Hamoed) and look at what you can serve! Amazingness without the work! 

It used to be that you can only get Cream Sorbet at their flagship Gelateria on Avenue of the Americas in Lakewood, NJ. But they the sorbets and gelatos are also available in supermarket freezers near you, both for Pesach and all year. 

I also went behind the scenes and watched the gelato being made. I saw the cases of blood oranges, waiting to be juiced and watched fresh gelato come oozing out of the batch freezer.  This is fresh, artisanal stuff that doesn’t taste like anything you’ve ever picked up at the supermarket. 

Now, let’s turn this post over to Renee as she shows you how to recreate these gorgeous desserts with Cream!

Renee: When plating a dessert, sometimes, all it takes is some planning and the right tools to turn a simple plate into a spectacular one. Of course, the Cream sorbets are so delicious, you’d be fine just serving a scoop in a dessert cup (or eating them straight from the container with a spoons… just saying). But, if you do want to go a bit fancy without any real work (our specialty, we know) here’s what we recommend you do: Get these silicone trays. They are inexpensive, reusable, and even wash well (we didn’t think they would, but, plot twist, they do!)

You can get the square one (more of a taste in each bite) which comes with a handy scraper, or the small ball tray which is  almost like eating a frozen berry, but better. If you use Cream, that is. 

Here’s what you do: soften the sorbets (just let them hang out on the counter) and then, using a spatula or a spoon, fill up the trays.

Use the scraper or a knife to clean up the surface and to help you fill them to capacity.

We found that the best way is to work on a rimmed baking sheet, easier to transfer to the freezer too.

Freeze. Now, how easy was that? In a way, almost easier than scooping good old ice cream with a hungry family waiting for dessert in the adjacent room. Speaking of that, if you are looking to serve scoops, say, over some cut fruit, we do recommend scooping in advance, and placing on a baking sheet, then freezing. This step makes serving so much easier and simpler. 

Back to the trays of squares or balls. Once you are ready to serve, it’s time to play! It’s literally like arts and crafts, but with small cut fruits or berries and sauces. You can use a store bought sauce, make a strawberry or mango sauce, or, use a coulis like we did.

Shown here is a neat trick we did with cocoa powder. It adds taste and interest to the plate. 

Simply start by placing two pieces of paper on a simple plate (use your dinner plate, larger is better) and leave about 2 inches between the two papers.

Use a small strainer or sifter to evenly distribute some cocoa on the exposed part of the plate then remove the papers carefully.

Now, proceed with decorating the plate with fruit, nuts, sauces and, of course, the sorbet squares or balls.

And look, a beautiful plate that took almost no effort to prepare. Just some planning.

Worried you won’t have the patience to plate at the meal? If freezer space allows, simply prep in advance and freeze the plates, sans berries or sauces. Add those right before serving. 

Here is how we used the sorbet small balls, over a cup of cut fruit. You can also pop them out of the trays in advance and place the cups in the freezer ready to add the fruit at the meal.

Note: We did notice that the fruit based sorbets popped out of the molds better than the gelato varieties, which are creamier.