The hot weather has well and truly arrived and it’s time to think about ‘cooling down’ food. The Ice Cream shops help, but have you tried making your own Ice Cream or Sorbet?
With Ice Cream machines now more affordable in the shops it couldn’t be easier, but don’t worry if you havn’t got one as the recipes below will show you how to make them without one. You can keep home made Ice Cream in your freezer for up to three months, but it degrades when in contact with air, so putting cling film over the surface before you seal the container will help to preserve the texture. How long the Ice Cream takes to freeze will depend on the temperature of your freezer, its size, how full it is and the depth and material of the container used.
It really is worth trying your own ice-cream.
Buen Apetito.
Peach Ice Cream
Peel the peaches and puree the fruit in a jug using a hand blender and put to one side. Now make a simple custard by pouring the cream into a sauce pan with the beaten egg yolks and sugar. Put this on the cooker and heat on a medium heat stirring frequently to prevent the bottom burning. You need to bring this almost to the boil but not quite. This ensures the egg is cooked into the mixture and the sugar has all dissolved. Pour into a cold jug and leave to cool down. When cool, mix in the fruit puree and put the mix in your Ice Cream Maker, following the manufacturer’s recipe timing. Alternatively you can freeze it in the freezer but Ice Cream makers freeze more quickly producing smaller ice crystals.
Melon Ice
Cut the melon in half and scoop out the seeds and throw away. Scoop out the rest of the flesh and puree with the sugar, maple syrup and cream. Add the lemon juice. Whisk in the yogurt and turn into a rigid freezer-proof container. Freeze for 2 hours or until almost firm, remove from freezer and beat mixture to break up the ice crystals then return to freezer until solid. Serve with melon balls, some more maple syrup and the mint.
Lemon Frozen Yogurt
Scrub the lemons, cut off the tops and scoop out the flesh and juice into a saucepan but remove pips and heat gently with the sugar. Simmer for 2 minutes, then remove from heat and allow to cool. Stir in cream. Whisk in yogurt and turn into a rigid container and freeze for 2 hours. Remove from freezer and break up the ice crystals. Scoop into lemon shells and return to freezer until solid.
Italian Cassata
Whisk eggs yolks, cornflour 150g of the caster sugar. Heat milk until almost boiled, then whisk into the egg mixture. Place over a pan of simmering water and cook custard until it thickens. Allow to cool, but stir to prevent skin forming. Whip the cream and then fold half into the custard mixture. Turn mixture into rigid container and freeze for two hours. Break up, the crystals and then spread the mixture into a 1.5 litre pudding basin and freeze until solid. Chop up the glace fruit, beat Ricotta and grate the lemon rind. Beat remaining sugar, double cream and the chopped glace fruit into the ricotta. Chop the almonds and fold in. Spoon mixture into the centre of pudding basin. Freeze until solid. Serve with whipped cream and glace fruit.
Basic Sugar Syrup for Sorbets
Put vanilla pod into a saucepan with sugar and ½ pint of water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Allow to cool and remove vanilla pod.
Kiwi Sorbet
Peel kiwi and finely chop, sieving to remove seeds. Add to the basic syrup, grate rind and squeeze juice from lemon and add. Turn mixture into rigid container and freeze for 2 hours. Remove and stir to break up ice crystals. Whisk egg white and add to sorbet with the nuts. Return to freezer and freeze until solid.
Grapefruit Sorbet
Squeeze the juice from the grapefruits and stir into basic syrup. Turn into rigid container and freeze until semi-frozen. Remove and stir to break up the ice crystals. Whisk the egg whites and fold into sorbet and return to freezer until solid. Decorate to suit. For a rough sorbet add flesh from grapefruits with the juice at the beginning.