Vegan malt ice-cream with ‘honeycomb’ and chocolate sauce
Why eat plain ice-cream when you can top it with chocolate sauce and chunks of “honeycomb”? Tamal Ray is living his best ice-cream life with this dairy-free recipe (pictured above). Coconut milk gives you all the creaminess you would want from an ice-cream, while it has a mild-enough flavour to pair well with whatever flavours take your fancy – although malt and chocolate is hard to better.
Passion fruit, mango and creme fraiche ‘Soleros’
You’ll be hard-pressed to go back to the British summer stalwart Solero after trying Yotam Ottolenghi’s twist. Be careful not to whip the chilled cream mix too much: you’re looking for “very soft peaks”. As Ottolenghi says, you should still be able to spoon it easily into the moulds. If you happen to have any left over, pop the cream and fruit mixtures into a container, swirl with a spoon to give a ripple effect, then freeze to make ice-cream for another time.
Rum and raisin ice-cream sandwich
Two desserts are always better than one, and Liam Charles’s recipe will make you feel like a kid again. (A grownup one – there’s a splash of the hard stuff.) Raisins plumped up with dark rum and spices including cinnamon and nutmeg form part of the ice-cream (no machine required), which is then scooped and sandwiched between two cookies amped up with almonds and cherry. When assembling these crowd-pleasers, be sure to put each sandwich in the freezer as you go, to stop them melting too much.
Instant frozen-berry ice-cream
If you’ve got a bag of frozen berries lurking in the freezer, then you’ve got an instant ice-cream fix – we’re talking five minutes between you and a scoop. This recipe uses creme fraiche to give that necessary richness, but, says Jones, a full-fat yoghurt (or, if you’re vegan, oat creme fraiche) will work, too. You can easily double or triple the quantities, as long as your blender can take the pressure.
Rocky road ice-cream cake
A new-wave rocky road in the form of an ice-cream cake. There’s an impressive two cookie base, and a secret layer of peanuts, chocolate chips and mini marshmallows topped with an easy cocoa ice-cream. However, the real joy comes in the decorating. Spoon over a layer of caramel, then get creative with more peanuts, marshmallows or chocolate buttons. Here, more is more. We take no responsibility for any sugar rush caused.
Vegan avocado and matcha ice-cream
In India, Meera Sodha says, the name for avocado is “butter fruit”, which makes it the perfect base for a vegan ice-cream. You will need to start this avo ice-cream the day before you want to demolish it, and you’ll also need an ice-cream maker. Sodha adds that “the bowl of the ice-cream machine needs to be well-frozen”, so pop it in for a minimum of half a day before you start churning. Top with a few raspberries and, if you fancy, a shake or two of matcha powder.
Sgroppino co*cktail
Follow Rachel Roddy’s eminently sensible serving advice for this five-minute lemon sorbet, prosecco and vodka co*cktail: “I prefer sgroppino after a meal; a pudding crossed with another drink. Alternatively, I like one or two in the middle of a hot afternoon, for internal cooling and to aid full concentration.” It’s worth noting that this co*cktail is a tale of three temperatures: the sorbet must be soft enough to scoop, the prosecco cold and the vodka straight from the freezer.
Affogato
A classic affogato uses vanilla gelato with a double espresso poured over the top – although Jacob Kenedy is a maverick so punts for hazelnut gelato and black hot chocolate (70% cocoa chocolate melted with a little boiling water). A simple recipe, yes, but Kenedy says there are a few steps to follow for successful drowning: choose flavours that go together, make sure your gelato is not too cold and use proper espresso. Glory lies in your timing, he says. “Do the drowning at the table so the ice-cream doesn’t have time to melt too much.”
Pomegranate and rose sorbet with sesame brittle
Georgina Hayden’s sweet, tart pomegranate ice is going to take control of your sorbet-related plans this summer. You don’t want the rose water to overpower, so start by stirring three tablespoons into the fruit juice mix, leave to cool completely, then taste and add a further tablespoon if needed. Serve with shards of sesame brittle, more pomegranate seeds and some rose petals, if you fancy – Baz Luhrmann-style bowl optional, but very much encouraged.
Elderflower sorbet and pistachio biscuits
The window for elderflowers is so short, you really should make the most of them while you can. Step forward Jeremy Lee’s two-for-the-price-of-one recipe. First, make an elderflower cordial; then, with the addition of some lemon juice, water, and a spoonful or two of sugar, make a wonderful sorbet. Buttery pistachio biscuits, Lee says, would sit merrily alongside. “These are best done by hand, but of course they can be done in a machine, keeping a very beady eye that the dough is not overmixed,” he says. Who are we to argue?
No-churn ice-cream
Making ice-cream can be a faff, with the egg custard, locating the ice-cream maker (if you’re even in possession of such a thing) and making endless trips to the freezer to contend with. While a no-churn ice-cream is a slight compromise on taste (churning whips air into the mixture, which gives a certain lightness), if you do it right, says Felicity Cloake, the results are worth the minimal hassle. Plus, once you’ve mastered this method, you can start experimenting with other flavours.
Watermelon granita with herb sugar
Nigel Slater’s recipe requires a bit of patience, but the result is the perfect foil to a hot day – “a shimmering pile of ice crystals”. You don’t want the watermelon granita to freeze into one large ice cube, so you’ll need to gently mix regularly – every hour for about four hours. Topped with a brilliant green herb sugar, you’ll be as cool as Harry Styles’s nails in the video for his aptly named track Watermelon Sugar.
