Tangerine Recipe

Make sugar syrup

Combine 1 cup water and 3 tablespoons granulated sugar in a small saucepan. Heat over medium, stirring, until sugar fully dissolves and the mixture just comes to a simmer. Remove from heat and stir in 1 tablespoon light corn syrup. Let cool to room temperature.

Prepare tangerine base

While syrup cools, zest one tangerine to yield about 1 tablespoon zest. Juice fresh tangerines until you have 2 cups of juice. Strain juice through a fine mesh sieve to remove pulp and seeds. Stir the tangerine juice and zest into the cooled sugar syrup. Add 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice and 1 teaspoon fine salt; whisk until combined. Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator (at least 1 hour) until very cold — this improves texture when churning.

Churn and freeze

Pour the chilled tangerine mixture into an ice cream maker and churn according to manufacturer instructions (typically 20–25 minutes) until it reaches a soft‑serve sorbet consistency. Transfer the sorbet to a shallow, airtight container, smooth the top, and press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface. Freeze at least 3 hours (preferably overnight) until firm.

No-ice-cream-maker option

If you don't have an ice cream maker: pour the chilled mixture into a shallow metal or glass pan and freeze. Every 30 minutes for about 3 hours, stir vigorously with a fork or whisk scraping the frozen edges into the center to break up ice crystals until evenly frozen and smooth.

Place 1 cup chilled whole milk in a pitcher or bowl. If using, whisk in 1 teaspoon powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract until dissolved and smooth. Keep chilled until assembly. The milk is served cold alongside the sorbet to provide a creamy contrast; do not heat.

Prepare mint

Gently rinse mint leaves and pat very dry with paper towels. Arrange leaves on a flat surface.

Adhere sugar

Lightly brush each mint leaf with about 1/2 tablespoon beaten egg white (use a pastry brush) or with a little simple syrup for a vegan option. Sprinkle granulated sugar evenly over both sides of each leaf so they are coated. Shake off excess sugar and transfer leaves to a wire rack set over parchment paper.

Dry and crisp

Allow the sugared mint leaves to dry at room temperature for 1–2 hours until crisp. For faster results, place them in a low oven at 200°F (95°C) for 10–15 minutes, watching carefully so they do not brown. Once crisp, handle gently and store on parchment until assembly.

Scoop: Remove sorbet from freezer 5 minutes before serving to soften slightly for easier scooping. Place one or two rounded scoops of tangerine sorbet into chilled serving bowls or glasses.

Milk pour: Pour about 1/4 cup chilled milk into each bowl or serve milk in a chilled small pitcher on the side for guests to pour over or sip alongside the sorbet. The milk should be cold and lightly sweetened if desired.

Garnish: Place a candied mint leaf on each sorbet scoop and tuck an extra fresh mint sprig alongside. Add 1–2 tangerine segments or a thin tangerine slice for color. Serve immediately.