X – Xanthan Gum — Raspberry Lemonade Sorbet and Lemon Blackberry Granita

X is for Xanthan Gum. I want to first talk alittle about Xanthan Gum then I also have a quick recipe to share. Xanthan Gum is popular commercially as a thickener for dressings and sauces. Look on the back of most salad dressings and you’ll find xanthan gum. It is favored in salad dressings because it is stable and it helps keep spices suspended and aids to prevent separation (oil/vinegar for example); it keeps those ingredients blended and staying together. Go ahead shake up that bottle up, what do you see?…most likely it will be the seasonings and spices floating inside. They won’t quickly settle to the bottom like a homemade dressing would, but it’s all good – I just whisk my dressings back up before serving usually. 🙂
Xanthan Gum is also very popular in gluten free recipes. Since gluten naturally provides elasticity to dough and allows for that chewy texture. Alternatively, Xanthan Gum provides the same benefits in gluten-free baking. Many gluten-free creations can be made using Xanthan gum from breads to cakes to cookies or donuts.
Additionally, it is used in Ice Creams and Sorbets similarly Locust Bean Gum or Guar Gum because it helps provide a desirable mouth feel. It also helps prevent ice crystals from forming. I created two frozen treats for you to sample – a silky sorbet and chunky icy granita.

Raspberry Lemonade Sorbet
(Serves 4) – Vegan, Gluten-Free, Soy-Free

Ingredients:
1 ¼ Cup Sugar
¾ Cup Water
Juice of 2 ½ Lemons
Zest of 1 Lemon
2 (6oz) Packages Fresh Raspberries
¼ Tsp Xanthan Gum

Directions:
-In medium saucepan combine water and sugar over medium heat. Dissolve sugar in water to create a simple syrup.
-Juice lemons and combine with raspberries and lemon zest in blender, food processor or I used my nutribullet.

-In a bowl whisk together simple syrup with lemon mixture.

-Whisk in Xanthan Gum then pour into 9×13 dish and freeze for 2 ½ hours. Every 30 minutes scrape through sorbet with a fork. Enjoy!

Lemonade Blackberry Granita
(Serves 4) – Vegan, Gluten-Free

Ingredients:
Juice of 2 ½ Lemons
½ Cup Water
Zest of 1 Lemon
6oz Blackberries
3 Tsp Blue Agave Nectar
¼ Tsp Xanthan Gum

Directions:
-Combine blackberries, water, agave and xanthan gum in food processor, blender or I used my nutribullet for this recipe.

-Whisk blackberry mixture into lemon juice and zest.

-Pour mixture in 9×13 dish and freeze for 2 ½ hours. Every 30 minutes scrape through with a fork. You want to separate the ice crystals as the mixture freezes.

Notes: Both recipes were created without having to use an icecream maker. Granita can be made raw omit Xanthan gum. Also, a critique is the raspberry lemonade was super sweet so I added another container of raspberries to try and cut down the sweetness.
Also, kids (well mine at least) are not a huge fan of seeds so you can strain both before adding to the container for freezing. This time around I kept the seeds in.

Enjoy!