Pixie Tangerine Sherbet

I try and keep up on any local food related festivals so I can go and take in the latest and greatest that Southern California has to offer. In April the city of Ojai celebrates one of their regional delights, the Ojai Pixie Tangerine. This fruit is to Ojai what the Hatch Chili is to Hatch New Mexico. This sweet and easy to peal fruit seemed like a perfect ingredient for a sherbet. So Nicole and I made the trip out to Ojai to secure some tangerines to this Pixie Tangerine Sherbet. But before we make it, lets take a quick look at the how we got this delicious Pixie Tangerine.

Pixie Tangerines:

The Pixie Tangerine was developed in the late 1920s, but it was not until the 1965, after study at the University of Riverside, that the Pixie was released commercially and recommended as a back-yard tree. Part of that research was planting the pixie trees all over California to see how they would grow. It turned out the pixies grown on Frank Noyes orchard in Ojai produced the best tasting fruit of all. The micro climate in Ojai was perfect for the trees growing season. In the 1970 Elmer Friend, of Friend’s Ranch, saw the test orchard on Noyes land, planted his first block of Pixie Tangerines. Other farmers would start to follow, and they would eventually join to form the Ojai Pixie Tangerine Growers Association to better market the fruit. Today there are about 40 orchards ranging from ½ acre up to 20+ acres and can be found in grocery stores starting in March.

To get updated information on when Pixie Tangerines are available checkout http://www.ojaipixies.com/ojai-pixie-news/.

Kitchen Equipment Needed:

• Strainer
• Measuring cups
• Measuring Spoons
• Citrus Juicer
• Zester
• Ice Cream Maker (see recipe notes if you don’t have one)

While making sherbet is easy, it does help to have a few items on hand. A strainer ensures that you don’t add any pulp into the sherbet, as this will affect the texture of the finished product. The citrus juicer is a handy tool to extract as much juice as possible. But squeeze gently so the juice goes where you want it.  Finally, an ice cream maker is key to get the velvet smooth texture we are looking for. See the recipe notes for how to make this without one.

Making Pixie Tangerine Sherbet:

Start by selecting two of the best-looking pixie tangerines and carefully create the zest and set it aside. Once done, cut about half of your tangerines in half and start to juice them over the strainer into a bowl. Remove the pulp from the strainer as it builds up. When you have juiced half the tangerines, check and see how much juice you have collected and gauge how many more you need to get 3 cups. Once you have enough juice, add the half and half, sugar, vanilla extract, salt, whiskey and tangerine zest into it and whisk until well blended. You want to put this mixture into the refrigerator for a few hours to ensure its well chilled. Then follow the directions of your ice cream maker to complete the process.