Ice cream! It’s hard to top a truly excellent vanilla (you can't go wrong with Philippa Sibley’s recipe) but there’s really no end to the flavour possibilities when making your own ice cream. Julie Fisher’s peanut butter and strawberry ripple (pictured) is a definite weakness of mine, as is Billy Law’s avocado ice cream (sounds weird, but trust me, it’s amazing). If you’ve mastered the simple stuff and you're looking to take your ice cream making to the next level, check out gelato-genius Nick Palumbo’s ‘basics’ chapter from Gelato Messina.
Frozen yoghurt is a much quicker, simpler and lighter variation on ice cream since you don’t have to make a custard base, plus you get that great tang from the yoghurt that pairs particularly well with fruit. David Frenkiel and Luise Andersen’s recipe uses roasted strawberries and pine nuts for rich flavour.
Sorbet is ludicrously simple to make. Seriously, puree some fruit with a little extra sugar, throw it into your ice cream maker and, ta da! insanely good sorbet. Sorbet is also a bit lighter on the palate, lower in fat and dairy free for those who don’t do lactose. Everyone should have a good lemon sorbet recipe in their arsenal (try Paul Wilson’s), and why not combine cocktail hour with dessert, aka, Greg and Lucy Malouf’s negroni sorbet (pictured).
Pops, popsicles, ice blocks, icy poles – poke a stick in it and I’m there. Try these decadent choc-dipped raspberry popsicles from Julien Merceron, or David Frenkiel and Luise Andersen’s Mexican paletas in three amazing flavours (pictured).
Icy poles are for kids! I hear you say (not that you’d EVER say that, because who doesn’t love icy poles?) – well, if you like getting boozy while staying cool, then maybe I'll just start saying some words like ‘watermelon margarita pops with sweet and salty lime wedges’ (pictured), ‘G & T pops’ and ‘blueberry mojito popsicles’ and we’ll see what happens.
Never fear, granita is your new summer fling! Just pour flavoured liquid into a tray and pop it in the freezer, then remove every couple of hours and stir it up with a fork – too easy (Jane Kennedy’s strawberry granita recipe has just one ingredient, bet you can’t guess what it is).
If you're looking for more frozen treats, check out Ruby Violet's Ice Cream Dream by Julie Fisher, and for the experts, Gelato Messina by Nick Palumbo.