Sometimes food has a coolness factor. It could be a unique way it looks, such as with Buddha’s Hand or those little alien-looking pumpkins and gourds. There are eye-catching colors like purple sweet potatoes. Texture can be one of those factors too. Every now and then you find one with multiple coolness factors. Such is the case with this Red Dragon Fruit Sherbet.
The first cool factor is the way dragon fruit looks. The appearance can vary depending on the type. It has what appears as leaves or scale-like tips to be peeled. However, this is not a fruit to be peeled like a banana. You slice it and see a soft inside filled with tiny seeds similar to kiwi. The inside flesh can be anywhere from a bright white to the most amazing red or magenta color.
The amazing color does not stop there. Using red dragon fruit for sherbet means mixing with honeydew melon and half-and-half. The resulting color is, well, ridiculously cool if you ask me. How often do you see a bright, glowing fuschia colored frozen treat? Not very often for sure.
The texture of the unfrozen sherbet is totally cool. If you have kids, be sure they are in the kitchen when you make it. The fruit I used was very soft and ripe. After pureeing in the food processor, it became what I can only describe as slime (but not in a bad way). It “glopped” from the food processor to the bowl. (New word alert – glopped). Whisking in half-and-half was quite interesting. The frozen sherbet is not slimy and actually has a lovely smooth texture.
How does dragon fruit and this sherbet taste? Dragon fruit has a very mild and sweet flavor some compare to melon or kiwi. The flavor is so mild that other fruit can overpower it. To ensure dragon fruit’s flavor stood out, I chose honeydew melon to use as a companion in the sherbet. You can make this sherbet with any of the dragon fruit varieties as the taste will be the same however the color won’t be anything like using red dragon fruit. Oh, and I have to thank Frieda’s for sending the fruit to me. It was so much fun making the sherbet.
Red Dragon Fruit Sherbet
Ingredients
- 2 cups chopped red dragon fruit
- 1 cup chopped honeydew melon
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup half-n-half
Instructions
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Place the red dragon fruit, honeydew melon, sugar, and vanilla in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a knife blade. Process until smooth and the sugar is dissolved.
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Pour mixture into a bowl. Whisk in half-n-half. Chill thoroughly, at least 2 hours or overnight.
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Pour chilled mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions.
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Transfer sherbet to a freezer safe container. Freeze for at least one hour prior to serving.
Recipe Notes
A recipe for Red Dragon Fruit Sherbet made with fresh red dragon fruit, honeydew melon, and cream. It is sweet frozen treat with a gorgeous color.
Disclosure: I received a box of assorted product at no charge from Frieda’s. I was under no obligation to post a review. All opinions are my own unless otherwise stated or contained within a guest post.
[email protected] says
Such a gorgeous colored ice cream!
Renee says
Thanks Ami
Stacy says
The red dragon fruit is my favorite but it’s much harder to find outside of Asia than the white one. That sherbet is spectacular, Renee!
Renee says
Hopefully the red dragon fruit will continue to be easier to find. It sure is a treat.
Oakley @ Frieda's says
Hi Stacy! You’re right. The red ones are harder to find, and they’re going out of season again until next June. You might still find some right now though.
http://www.friedas.com/dragon-fruit/
Anita at Hungry Couple says
Stunning!!
Renee says
Thanks Anita
Carla says
That sherbet has a beautiful color, almost glow in the dark! I’ve had the white dragon fruit but not the red one. I need to go find some.
Renee says
The color is certainly vibrant and I hope you do find some of the red (also could be labeled magenta) dragon fruit.
Oakley @ Frieda's says
Hi Carla! Hurry! Season for the red ones are more or less done for the season. (Be back next June.) There might be some out there still. Please do ask your produce manager.
Melanie says
Thanks for this great recipe! I live in Belize where the magenta dragon fruit is very common this time of year. I’m looking forward to tasting the product (had to use watermelon in place of honeydew, as the latter is not grown here).
Jill Roberts @ WellnessGeeky says
Legit speechless, this red dragon fruit sherbet recipe look unreal! I obsessed with desserts! Can i post it on my blog? Thx for sharing!
Andrew says
Hi this looks delicious!!! I have a question, how do you make it look so pink? Does it have cream? because on the top it says that, but in the ingredients it doesn’t
Katie Moseman says
This recipe uses half-and-half, not cream. The reason for the extremely bright color is because these were special dragon fruits with magenta-colored flesh rather than white flesh. You can still use the white flesh kind, but the resulting sherbet won’t be pink of course.