Five Spice Plum Sorbet

Five spice plum sorbet is the kind of unexpectedly sophisticated dessert that wins dinner parties without requiring fancy equipment or rare ingredients. Canned plums (in their own syrup) blend with Chinese five spice powder, dry sherry, and water into a vibrant magenta puree that churns into a smooth, fragrant sorbet with the floral-warm spice notes of star anise, cinnamon, and cloves singing through the fruit.

Using canned plums is the smart shortcut here. Their syrup is already perfectly sweetened for sorbet, eliminating the need to make a separate simple syrup. The fruit is also reliably ripe and pitted-easy in a way fresh stone fruit isn’t always.

The sherry is doing double duty: adding a subtle dry-wine complexity to the spice profile, and lowering the freezing point so the sorbet stays scoopable rather than turning rock-solid in the freezer.

Pro Tips

• Process the puree until truly smooth, with no visible flecks of plum skin. Skin pieces freeze hard and create unpleasant chewy bits in the finished sorbet.
• Chill the puree thoroughly in the fridge for at least an hour before churning. A cold base churns into smaller ice crystals, giving you a smoother, more luxurious texture.
• Don’t skimp on the sherry. The alcohol prevents rock-hard freezing; a sherry-free version turns into a brick within hours.
• Serve immediately after churning for the softest texture, or freeze for an hour for traditional firm sorbet. After overnight freezing, let it sit on the counter 5 minutes to soften before scooping.

Variations

• Substitute fresh ripe plums (about 1.5 pounds, pitted) plus ½ cup sugar simple syrup for a fresh-fruit version when plums are in season.
• Use port wine instead of dry sherry for a richer, sweeter version.
• Add a tablespoon of fresh ginger juice for an extra layer of warm-sweet bite.

Garnish each scoop with a star anise pod and a sprig of fresh mint for a beautiful Asian-inspired plating.