After my pleasant experience with BKLYN Larder’s Salted Peanut Gelato, I was ready to try the other pint they personally picked for me: Chocolate Sorbetto. Sorbets are something I usually associate with frozen fruit, but BKLYN Larder has managed to incorporate plenty of cocoa into their version. Without the addition of milk or cream, this would only be my second experience with a non-dairy frozen dessert. According to the label, this Chocolate Sorbetto is made using only cocoa, sugar, water and salt. There was no way my palate, which is biased towards super-premium ice cream, would allow me to like something containing only those ingredients. Although my skepticism had skyrocketed, my enjoyable experience with their Salted Peanut Gelato encouraged me to give this a fair opportunity.
After giving this sorbetto ample thaw time at room temperature, I opened back the lid to see a first layer that looked similar to most of the other dark chocolate ice creams I’ve covered. Although the nutrition facts aren’t available, I can’t imagine this could contain nearly the same amount of calories as a flavor featuring heavy cream and milk. I cringed a bit as my spoon pulled across the sorbetto and made the dreaded sound of a base full of ice crystals. It would make sense considering water is used in such high amounts, but to my surprise, the ice quickly melted away after the first few bites and I was left with a interestingly creamy frozen treat.
The feel of this sorbetto is even more appealing than most low-fat ice creams, but the consistency isn’t the only thing BKLYN Larder has excelled with. They’ve managed to include just the right amounts of cocoa, sugar and salt to really pack a rich, chocolate flavor without the assistance of cream or milk. Even though I came into this review as an ice cream snob, BKLYN Larder’s Chocolate Sorbetto was able to show me that with enough skill and care, you can help alleviate the need for any dairy in some frozen desserts. I'll still take my ice cream any day though.
Where I Found It: BKLYN LARDER
Grade: B