CHENNAI: The summer heat is just about getting from bad to worse and no amount of cold showers seem to offer relief? These home chefs have some of the most delicious means of tackling this annual
woe from the inside out. Here on offer are a handful of easy-to-make ice-cream recipes that might just tide you through summer. Bon appétit!
No-Churn Strawberry Cheesecake Ice-Cream
Aarthi Palaniappan (@foodtherapyforu)
Ingredients
Whipping cream: 500 ml
Condensed milk: 250 g
Cream cheese: 250 g
Graham crackers: A few, coarsely crushed
For strawberry sauce
Strawberry: 220 g,
finely chopped
Sugar: 1/3 cup
Vanilla essence: 1 tbsp
Method
1. For the strawberry sauce: In a saucepan, bring to boil a mix of finely chopped strawberries and sugar. Then, add in the vanilla essence and simmer it until the strawberries are cooked and the sauce thickens slightly. Allow it to cool completely.
2. Blend the condensed milk and cream cheese; set aside.
3. Whip the whipping cream until it forms soft peaks.
4. Add the whipped cream to the condensed milk mixture and fold in gently.
5. Mix in the crushed Graham crackers, keeping aside some for topping.
6. Put half of the ice-cream base in a freezer-proof container, layer with half of the strawberry sauce. Then, add in the remaining ice-cream mix. Cover with plastic wrap.
7. Freeze for over eight hours, preferably overnight.
8. Once it’s solid, smear the remaining strawberry sauce on top and garnish with Graham crackers.
Note: This soft-serve ice-cream melts very quickly and takes a long time to get the texture back. So, do not keep it out for more than 10 minutes.
Falooda popsicle
Ingredients
Seasonal fruits: 1 cup
Chilled milk: 250 ml, Powdered sugar: 100 g
Boiled vermicelli (unsalted):
1 cup; Rose syrup: 2 tbsp
Whipped cup: 1 cup
Sabja seeds: 1 tsp
Method
1. Reduce the milk to half its original volume over low flame. Then, add sugar and stir until it dissolves completely.
2. Whip the fresh cream and mix it with milk.
3. Soak the sabja seeds in half a cup of water until it fluffs up.
4. Add the seeds to the cream-milk mixture and pour into popsicle moulds. Freeze for 6-8 hours or overnight.
Greek yogurt and granola breakfast popsicle
Shefalii Dadabhoy (@shefnochef)
Ingredients
Greek yogurt: 1.5 cup
Milk: ½ cup
Honey or maple syrup: 2 tsp
Fresh fruits of your choice: a few pieces
Raspberry compote (optional) Granola
Method
1. In a bowl, mix yogurt, milk, honey or syrup and fresh fruit pieces.
2. Layer the mixture with raspberry compote and granola in the popsicle mould.
3. Insert sticks and freeze overnight.
Note: Works best with berries or mango.
Refined sugar-free Very Berry Sorbet
Shikha Gulecha (@gourmetsy)
Ingredients
Mixed frozen berries (strawberry, blueberry, raspberry): 500 g
Maple syrup: 100 ml
Lemon juice: 15 ml
Vanilla extract: 1 tsp
Method
1. Defrost the berries for an hour and blend them to make a puree.
2. In a heavy-bottomed pan, reduce the puree over medium heat for 20 minutes.
3. Then, add maple syrup and continue stirring over medium flame.
4. Add lemon juice and vanilla extract. Cook this mixture for another 10 minutes and turn off the heat. Allow the mixture to cool.
5. Once it’s cool enough to touch, add the mixture to an airtight container and put it in the freezer for 6-8 hours.
6. Every two hours, using a fork, break the ice crystals that forms. Do this 3-4 times and then your sorbet is ready.
Vanilla Berry Ice-cream
Ingredients
For the vanilla berry compote
Frozen/fresh strawberries: 1 cup
Frozen/fresh raspberries: 1 cup
Frozen/fresh blueberries: ¼ cup
Brown sugar: ¼ cup
Lemon juice: 2 tbsp
Vanilla extract: 1 tsp
For ice-cream base
Condensed milk: 185 ml
Whipped cream: 200 ml
Method
Berry compote
1. In a saucepan, add the berries and brown sugar. Cook on a medium flame for 25 minutes.
2. Then, add lemon juice and vanilla extract. Stir well and turn off the flame.
3. Cool this mixture and set aside.
Ice-cream base
1. Take condensed milk in a large bowl and whisk until it’s light and fluffy.
2. To this mixture, add whipped cream and mix gently.
Vanilla berry ice-cream
1. Pour the ice-cream base in a cake pan or plastic container.
2. Swirl in the berry compote.
3. Cover the container and freeze it for 8 hours or overnight.
4. After the ice-cream sets, scoop and serve.
Note: You can use store-bought berry jam if you do not have ingredients for the berry compote.
Death by chocolate
Preeti of Munch Health (@munchealth)
Ingredients
Full cream milk: 250 ml
Fresh cream: 1 cup, Sugar: 200 g
Drinking chocolate (or cocoa powder): 4 tbsp
Chocolate cookies/biscuits: 1 cup
Nutella: 1 tbsp, Corn flour: 4 tbsp; dilute with 6 tbsp milk
Method
1. Reduce the milk to three-fourth the original volume over low flame.
2. Add sugar and diluted cornflour; keep stirring over low flame till the mixture thickens.
3. Remove from heat and let it cool completely. Then, add fresh cream and beat it or grind it in a mixer.
4. Now, add the rest of the ingredients and half the cookies/biscuits, and mix.
5. Pour the mixture into a container and freeze it for two hours or till it’s semi-set.
6. Remove it from the freezer and whip the mixture once more. Put it back in the container, garnish with the leftover biscuits and freeze overnight.
Minty Watermelon, Mango, Lime Mint Popsicles
Ingredients
Watermelon chunks: 1 cup
Mango: 1 cup, chopped
Coconut water: ¼ cup
Mint leaves
Lime juice
Honey
Method
1. For minty watermelon, blend the watermelon chunks, honey (1 tbsp) and lime juice (1 tbsp). Stir in the chopped mint leaves (1 tbsp).
2. For mango, blend mango, lime juice (1 tsp), honey (1 tsp) and coconut water.
3. For lime mint, heat two cups of water and honey or sugar (2 cups) in a saucepan. Bring it to boil, turn off the heat and add lime juice (juice of two freshly squeezed limes). Stir in the chopped mint leaves (1 tbsp).
4. Pour into the popsicle moulds.
5. Let it partially freeze for 30 minutes.
6. Insert the popsicle stick and freeze for 4-6 hours.