Too hot to cook and a bank holiday looming – then these lovely fruity fresh recipes are just the thing to give everyone a cool treat.  The white chocolate and orange ice-cream is great for entertaining  – serve with fresh summer berries and cream or a chocolatey sauce. The raspberry iced cream and the strawberry slush couldn’t be more simple  – full of natural goodness and very little added sugar they are a lovely  treat for young and old alike.  

 White chocolate and Orange Ice cream

500ml pot good quality full fat vanilla custard

200ml double cream

200g good quality white chocolate

Zest and juice of one orange

 Method

Break the chocolate into pieces and put into a bowl and melt either in a microwave set on a medium low heat for three minutes (you need to stir every 30-40 seconds) or set the bowl over a pan of simmering water.

Heat the cream in a pan to scalding point and then it over the chocolate and stir  well to mix.

Mix in the custard and then the zest and juice of the orange.  Cover the bowl and place in the fridge to chill for at least half an hour.

Churn the mixture in an ice cream machine until very thick. Scoop into a container and freeze for a couple of hours before serving.

Freezing the ice cream without a machine – Still Freezing:

If you don’t have an ice cream churner then put the ice-cream custard into a freezer container with a lid and freeze for one and a half hours. It should be beginning to freeze at the edges and be slushy in the centre. Beat the custard either in its container, or in a large bowl until it is uniformly slushy. Return it to its container and the freezer and leave for a further hour and a half  and then beat again. Repeat this process a third time and then leave the ice cream in the freezer for a final setting.

Two more easy-peasy ices – Raspberry iced cream and Strawberry Slush

 

Raspberry iced cream

450-500g fresh raspberries

100g caster sugar or sugar syrup

300ml double cream

Put the raspberries and the sugar or sugar syrup into a blender and blitz until pureed. adjust the sweetness with additional sugar or syrup.

If you are using an ice cream churner then pour the puree into a large bowl and mix in the double cream. Pour into the ice cream machine and churn until thick and setting. Scrape the ice-cream into a freezer container and freeze for an hour or so before serving

If you don’t have an ice cream churner and are still freezing this then lightly whip the double cream  in a large bowl and then follow the instructions above for still freezing.

 

Fresh Strawberry Slush

500g strawberries, hulled and chopped

100g caster sugar or 100ml vanilla sugar syrup

Put the strawberries and the sugar or syrup (if you are using sugar then you can add 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence) into a blender and blitz until pureed. Adjust the sweetness with additional sugar or sugar syrup if required.  Pour the puree into an ice cream machine and churn until frozen and slushy.  Scrape the strawberry slush into a freezer container and freeze for an hour or so before serving.

If you don’t have an ice cream churner and are still freezing this then lightly whip the double cream  in a large bowl and then follow the instructions above for still freezing.