Umami Salted Dark Chocolate Sorbet Recipe

In before times, I sampled many new and unusual flavors and ingredients at professional food conferences. For example, many years ago at a Culinary Institute of America’s World of Flavors conference, I tasted a chocolate truffle seasoned with fish sauce. I expected to taste a lot of fish sauce but the Filipino chef who made the truffle explained that he used fish sauce to create umami. It was a good chocolate truffle, and the fish sauce gave it just a little bit more depth. Chocolate, as part of its processing, goes through fermentation just like fish sauce. So why not combine them together? Salt in chocolate sparks flavor so nước mắm (patis in Tagalog) should do a similar thing but be more stealthy.

So when I spotted a salted dark chocolate sorbet recipe in pastry chef Brian Levy’s new cookbook, Good & Sweet, I thought why not try it with nước mắm instead of salt? Levy’s take on sorbet is interesting because he does not use any refined sugar in his book. All the sources of sweet flavors come from fruits and vegetables. I’m into seeing how far we can creatively push produce in the kitchen so Levy’s work attracted me.

Naturally Sweetened Sweets

Some people have asked me about how to lower the use of refined sugar in Asian cooking. I have tried different kinds of sugar substitutes and honestly, it can be tricky. There’s no one size-fits-all substitute. I cut down on refined sugar whenever it’s possible, and may use honey, maple syrup, or agave syrup. However, Levy doesn’t lean on maple syrup, agave syrup, coconut sugar, or any processed sugar stand-in. His recipes source their sweetness from dried fruit, freeze-dried fruit, fruit juices, and super ripe bananas, for example. He includes acidity, as well, to pop sweetness.

I was very curious about how Levy builds his flavors (I’ve marked many recipes to try) in Good & Sweet. The salted dark chocolate sorbet recipe is easily made from accessible ingredients, does not requite baking (who wants to turn the oven on in summer), and is loaded with fruit fiber nutrients from dates and prunes! And, the sorbet promised to be intensely flavored, dense and chewy. Below are my notes.

Salty, Savory, Seasoning Options

Levy uses fine sea salt in the sorbet base to create a savory sweet note. I chose fish sauce because of the fermentation connection with chocolate and the truffle experience years ago. But, you could try soy sauce or miso (a sweet white/shiro miso), if you like. What is wonderful about making this sorbet is that you can taste the sorbet mixture as you're preparing it. For example, I conservatively started out with ½ teaspoon of fish sauce but ended up using 2 teaspoons of fish sauce. What I'm saying is you can incrementally add the salty savory umami note. It’s smart cooking because chocolate varies a lot and so does salt and salty condiments. Taste, taste, taste and season as you go along. But stop shy of making the sorbet scream, “I have nước mắm in me!” Additionally, you’ll season it again when serving.

Prep with Scissors

I started using a knife to chop the dates and prunes -- two sticky dry fruits. But you know what? Scissors are so much better for the job. There are a lot of dates that you gotta snip, and you may quickly accomplish that task with scissors. I use Deglet dates but you may also use Medjool dates. Deglet dates are not as sweet as Medjools. My dates and prunes came from Costco.

Chocolate Choices

For the cocoa powder, make sure you buy unsweetened cocoa powder (some are labeled as cocoa, but they have sugar in them). Raw cacao can be a little bit acidic and so Levy calls for Dutch process cocoa which is a little smoother in flavor. I used a cocoa powder by Guittard that is beautifully dark reddish brown with plenty of flavorful depth. As for the unsweetened chocolate, mine came from Trader Joe's. Theirs are conveniently made as small drops, so you do not have to chop anything. Read labels to assess sustainability and fair-trade practices, as you wish.

Salted Dark Chocolate Sorbet Video Lowdown

For a closer look at how Levy's sorbet came together in my kitchen, watch this casual video that I made. (Refresh your browser and turn off ad-blockers if you have problems watching the video. And, select "STAY" when prompted to continue watching the video.)

Oil and Salt Toppings

Most frozen desserts are topped with rich, salty-savory and/or sweet things – whipped cream, sprinkles, nuts, for example. Italians make ice cream with olive oil and I've been served gelato finished with a drizzle of olive oil and pinch of flake salt. Levy suggests the latter combination to finish the sorbet, and it is a delicious route to take. But if you're a bit of a risk taker, try a chile oil or better yet -- Chinese-style chile crisp! Chile and chocolate make great friends, not just in mole. They are both native to the Americas. When tinkering with toppings, put a bit of your oil of choice on a spoonful of sorbet. Figure out what you like before fully settling in.

Made without cream, the sorbet fulfilled its promise of deep flavor with chewy and dense texture. It tasted as if it were prepared with lots of dairy and chocolate. Levy’s salted dark chocolate sorbet recipe is fun to play with. I served this to guests who've dined on all kinds of food from all over and they adored the sorbet and the chile crisp topping. Nope, you do not taste fish sauce. It's totally in the background as a stealth ingredient -- functioning to support a sweet-savory foundation.

Give the recipe a whirl. It’s fruit based and natural so you’ll be making a "low-guilt" pleasure. There is a lot more in Levy's book to experiment with too.

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Salted Dark Chocolate Sorbet Recipe

When using an ice cream maker, be sure to freeze the container and ready other implements, as needed. No ice cream maker? See the Note. This salted dark chocolate sorbet recipe was slightly adapted from Brian Levy’s cookbook, Good & Sweet (Avery, 2022). Makes about 2 ½ pints.

Ingredients

• 2 ⅓ cups 550g water
• ⅛ to ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt, or 1 to 2 teaspoons fish sauce
• 3 tablespoon 15g Dutch process cocoa powder
• 1 ¾ cup 270g pitted dates, chopped
• ½ cup 70g prunes, chopped
• 1 cup 165g unsweetened chocolate (chopped or as chips)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Extra-virgin olive oil, chile crisp, or chile oil, for serving
• Flake sea salt (such as Maldon), for serving

Instructions

• In a medium saucepan, combine the water, salt, cocoa powder, dates, and prunes. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium and continued to cook, stirring with a heat proof spatula or wooden spoon for one minute. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Add the chocolate and vanilla and stir until the chocolate is completely melted.
• Transfer the mixture to a blender or food processor and puree on medium low speed until it is completely smooth (you do not want the speed to be too high, because that will aerate the sorbet and take away from its dense richness). Pureeing the mixture takes longer than you think. Pause to occasionally and be patient.
• Scrape the puree into a metal bowl or loaf pan, cover well, and refrigerate it for at least 2 hours, or until chilled.
• Churn the mixture in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. (This can take 15 minutes. If you don't have an ice cream maker see the note.) Scrape the sorbet back a storage container, cover, and freezer at least 4hours. Keep frozen in an airtight container for up to one month.
• To serve, lightly drizzle oil over the sorbet and sprinkle it with salt.

Notes

To make the sorbet without an ice cream maker, fill an ice tray with the chilled sorbet base. Freeze it until it's solid (at least 4 hours) and then process the frozen cubes in a food processor until smooth. Scrape the sorbet into container, cover, and freeze for another 4 hours or more.