Orange Flower and Lychee Sorbet (a.k.a My Favorite Kiehl's Body Cleanser as a Dessert)

So, I’m kind of obsessed with fancy soaps and body washes and sugar scrubs and salt scrubs and loofahs and the like. It’s kind of a thing.

My absolute favorite body wash right now is Kiehl’s Aromatic Blends Orange Flower and Lychee. It smells like summer. Delicious, delicious summer. Every time I use it I find myself wanting to lick my skin, which obviously won’t satisfy my need to taste this wonderful scent, so I decided to make a sorbet out of the very things this body wash boasts – orange flowers and lychee.

It’s a bit on the perfume-y side, depending on how much orange flower water you add to the mix. Start with 1/2 tbsp and add up to 1 tbsp. I used a full tbsp, next time I’d probably cut it back to 2 1/2 tsp.

Traditionally, you can find orange flower (or orange blossom) water used in Mediterranean desserts for its aromatic qualities. Middle Eastern-style baklava also uses this fragrant water infused into the syrup. You can find orange flower water at specialty Middle Eastern markets (note: San Diego, you can find it at North Park Produce or Balboa International Market), or on The Amazons.

For texture, this recipe uses an egg white mixed into about 1/2 way through the freezing process. If raw egg whites freak you out, you can omit it completely. It doesn’t affect the flavor at all, but it eliminates that hard, icy mouth feel from the sorbet freezing hard. You can also try adding 1 tbsp of liquor (vodka, white wine, white rum, etc) to keep the sorbet from freezing too hard.

orange flower and lychee sorbet recipe on FMITK.com

You’ll need whole, seedless lychee in syrup, orange blossom water, sugar, one egg white and lemon.

Drain the lychee, reserving 1/4 cup of the syrup.

Zest one lemon. You’ll also need the juice.

Using a traditional blender or an immersion stick blender, puree the lychee .

Add in the juice of one lemon…

… the sugar…

…and the orange flower water.

Orange flower / orange blossom water is also a great addition to your favorite fruity cocktail – just go easy. She’s strong.

Place the mixture into your ice cream maker and let freeze according to manufacturer’s directions.

Once the mixture begins to solidify, about 10-15 minutes into freezing, add in the lightly beaten egg white. See notes below about using / not using the egg white.

25 minutes later we have a soft sorbet! Place in an airtight container and freeze for 4-6 hours, until hardened. Or eat it like this. I did *kanye shrug*

Dassit! It’s very refreshing and slightly perfume-y, depending on how much of the orange flower water you added.

Proof, once again, that inspiration can come from anywhere.

Lychee and Orange Flower Sorbet (a.k.a My Favorite Kiehl’s Body Cleanser as a Dessert)

makes 1 1/2 qts in ~35 mins + 4 hrs freezing

Ingredients

3- 20oz cans whole seedless lychee, drained with 1/4 cup syrup reserved
1 lemon, zest and juice
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 – 1 tbsp orange flower water
1 egg white, lightly beaten (see note)

Directions

Drain lychee, reserving 1/4 cup of syrup. Purée lychee using either a traditional or immersion blender. With blender running, add in lemon zest and juice, sugar and syrup. I don’t mind the texture a little chunky, but feel free to strain the mixture now if you want it completely smooth.

Freeze in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions. Once the mixture begins to solidify (10-15 minutes in), add beaten egg white and continue to freeze. My sorbet churned for 25 minutes total.

Store in an airtight container and freeze for at least 4-5 hours, until hardened.

Note: The egg white is for texture – it helps the sorbet not freeze “hard”, eliminating that icy, grainy mouthfeel. If egg whites freak you out, leave them out. You can also add 1 tbsp of alcohol (vodka, rum, white wine) to help the texture.