Blood Orange Sorbet with Red Wine Hot Fudge Sauce

This Blood Orange Sorbet with Red Wine Hot Fudge Sauce recipe is perfect for Valentine’s Day or to make after a romantic dinner at home.

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Let’s talk about Valentine’s Day! I’m obviously not the super cutesy, deck the house out in pink kind of person (as you can tell by my somewhat normal photos for this post). I do, despite not getting super into the spirit of it, enjoy setting aside an evening to just hang out with Wyatt. After being together for almost seven years, it’s good to have a reminder to spend some romantic time together.

For the first few years, we’d cook together on Valentine’s Day. Then it turned into me cooking for him. And now we are at the point where we just get pizza from our favorite place (they make it heart shaped on Valentine’s Day) and make a dessert together. I’ve really learned to love this routine — when I cook every night, taking a break and ordering take-out feels like such a wonderful treat.

This year I decided to make this blood orange sorbet ahead of time and we’ll just be whipping up the red wine chocolate sauce while we wait for the pizza to be delivered. The sorbet is not too sweet and takes on the most beautiful red hue from the blood orange juice. Blood oranges are only in season for a short window so don’t forget to take advantage of them while they are around!

As for the fudge, I threw the red wine in to make it feel more like an adult party and less like a kid’s sundae bash. The wine gives the fudge an extra depth that complements the chocolate beautifully.

P.S. I’m in Cali this week exploring the coast — I’d love for you to follow along on Instagram (been posting a ton of stories) if you are into it!

What’s Needed for Blood Orange Sorbet?

This is a naturally dairy-free sorbet recipe that requires just a handful of ingredients. It’s up to you whether you make the red wine hot fudge sauce as well, but I highly recommend doing so!

Here’s what you’ll need to make the blood orange sorbet:

• Granulated sugar
• Water
• Blood orange juice
• Lemon juice

And to make the red wine hot fudge sauce, you’ll need:

• Dry red wine
• Heavy cream
• Granulated sugar
• Unsalted butter
• Semisweet chocolate chips
• Vanilla extract
• Salt

How to Make Blood Orange Sorbet

I’ve given detailed instructions on how to make the orange sorbet and homemade hot fudge in the recipe card below. Here are the basics to making homemade sorbet:

1. Add the sugar and water to a saucepan and heat until the sugar is dissolved.
2. Stir in the orange and lemon juice, then transfer to the fridge and chill for 2 hours.
3. Once chilled, transfer to an ice cream maker and churn according to package instructions.
4. An hour before serving the homemade sorbet, make the red wine hot fudge sauce.
5. Drizzle the blood orange sorbet with hot fudge and enjoy!

Can I Use Regular Orange Juice?

If blood oranges aren’t in season or you can’t find them at your local supermarket, I’m sure regular oranges would work well here too. Just be sure to use freshly squeezed orange juice and not the pre-bottled kind.

Can I Omit the Red Wine?

I’ve only made the red wine hot fudge sauce as written, so I’m not sure whether you can omit the wine. Note that the alcohol cooks out when making the hot fudge sauce and just leaves behind a wonderful flavor.

Tips for Making Blood Orange Sorbet

Note that you will need an ice cream maker to whip up the sorbet (there’s no way around it, sorry!). Don’t forget to put the base in the freezer ahead of time!

Be sure to give yourself plenty of time before serving this homemade orange sorbet. Once the sorbet has been churned, it needs to freeze overnight to set up properly.

You’ll most likely end up with some leftover fudge after enjoying the sorbet — leftovers would go beautifully into milkshakes, cakes, or cookies (or can be eaten by the spoonful without any judgement from me).

Want More Fresh Fruit Desserts?

• Cherry Fudge Ice Cream Pie
• Blueberry Citrus Sour Cream Coffee Cake Loaf
• Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler with Pecan Biscuits
• Blueberry Lemon Pie
• Hibiscus Lemon Curd Tart with Cocoa Crust

Print

Blood Orange Sorbet with Red Wine Hot Fudge

This Blood Orange Sorbet with Red Wine Hot Fudge recipe is perfect for Valentine's Day or to make after a romantic dinner at home. / Slightly adapted from Leite's Culinaria and The Food Network

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Vegetarian

Servings: 10

Calories: 362 kcal

Author: Shelly Westerhausen

Ingredients

For the Blood Orange Sorbet:

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 1/2 cups freshly squeezed blood orange juice (I needed about 12 oranges to get me this amount)
• 1 tbsp lemon juice

For the Red Wine Hot Fudge:

• 3/4 cup dry red wine
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 8 oz semisweet chocolate chunks
• Dash of vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt

Instructions

1. For the sorbet: Combine sugar and water in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir often until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is just starting to boil. Remove from heat and stir in blood orange and lemon juice.
2. Transfer to the fridge and let chill for at least 2 hours.
3. Once chilled, use an ice cream maker according to manufacturing instructions. Transfer to an airtight container and let freeze overnight.
4. About an hour before serving the sorbet, add wine and cream to a medium saucepan over medium heat. Let cook until there are bubbles forming around the edges of the pot and then stir in the sugar. Let mixture come to a boil, stirring often to make sure the sugar is completely dissolved. Once boiling, reduce heat to low and whisk in the butter.
5. Remove from heat and whisk in the chocolate, vanilla extract, and salt. Serve right away warm or let it sit for about 20 minutes to thicken up.
6. To serve: Divide the sorbet between two bowls and drizzle with hot fudge.

Nutrition Facts

Blood Orange Sorbet with Red Wine Hot Fudge

Amount Per Serving

Calories 362 Calories from Fat 171

% Daily Value*

Fat 19g29%

Saturated Fat 12g75%

Cholesterol 38mg13%

Sodium 10mg0%

Potassium 216mg6%

Carbohydrates 41g14%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 36g40%

Protein 2g4%

Vitamin A 490IU10%

Vitamin C 19.3mg23%

Calcium 31mg3%

Iron 1.5mg8%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.