Blood Orange & Campari Sorbet with Bitter Orange Meringue Shards

⏱ 180 min · Serves 6

A jewel-bright sorbet that tastes like a negroni in dessert form — deep citrus, a whisper of bitterness, and a clean icy finish. Snapped shards of crisp orange-zest meringue give it crunch and a touch of sweetness to balance the Campari's edge. Make it a day ahead and it's the most elegant thing you can pull out of a freezer.

Per serving: 310 kcal · 2.4g protein · 70.0g carbs · 0.3g fat

Ingredients

• 750ml blood orange juice, freshly squeezed (about 12-14 oranges), strained
• 200g caster sugar
• 60ml water
• 2 tbsp liquid glucose or light corn syrup (for a softer scoop)
• 60ml Campari
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• Pinch of fine sea salt
• Finely grated zest of 1 blood orange
• FOR THE MERINGUE SHARDS:
• 2 large egg whites (about 70g), at room temperature
• 120g caster sugar
• 1/2 tsp cornflour
• 1/2 tsp white wine vinegar
• Finely grated zest of 1 orange
• 1 tsp Campari (optional, for colour and bitterness)

Method

1. Make the syrup: heat the sugar, water and glucose in a small pan over medium heat, stirring until fully dissolved. Do not boil hard. Remove from the heat and cool completely — 20 minutes in the fridge speeds this up.
2. Combine the cooled syrup with the strained blood orange juice, Campari, lemon juice, salt and orange zest. Taste: it should be assertively sweet and slightly bitter, as freezing mutes both. Chill the base thoroughly, at least 1 hour or overnight.
3. Heat the oven to 110C/90C fan. Line a large baking tray with baking parchment.
4. Whisk the egg whites to soft peaks, then add the sugar a tablespoon at a time, whisking constantly, until you have a stiff, glossy meringue that feels smooth between your fingers. Whisk in the cornflour and vinegar, then fold through the orange zest and Campari with a spatula.
5. Spread the meringue over the parchment in a thin, uneven layer roughly 5mm thick — you want it rustic. Bake for 60-70 minutes until crisp and dry, then turn the oven off and leave the door ajar to cool completely inside.
6. Churn the chilled sorbet base in an ice cream machine for 25-30 minutes until thick and slushy. Transfer to a chilled container and freeze for at least 2 hours to firm up. No machine? Freeze in a shallow tray, whisking vigorously with a fork every 30 minutes for 3 hours.
7. Snap the cooled meringue into dramatic shards with your hands.
8. Let the sorbet soften for 5 minutes, then scoop into chilled coupes or glasses. Spike each with 2-3 meringue shards, add a strip of blood orange zest, and serve immediately.