Super Easy Sorbets & Ice-Cream

Feels like: 35.7°C.

That’s the weather in Sydney, right now. As I write this I’m sitting in our sauna / spare room, with a pedestal fan blowing hot air at me just a metre away.

I’m feeling dramatically overheated.

Yes, I’m one of those people who complain about the heat in summer. Nobody likes a whinger though (especially when all of my friends are heat-lovers), so I do try to keep my complaining restricted to my inside voice, most of the time

Despite my dislike of the heat, I can see the positives to it:

1. My clothes and sheets dried very fast on the line today
2. I’m on leave today so it didn’t matter that my face is red and my hair is a mess on top of my head
3. AND there’s nothing like an icy cold sorbet (or a Calippo!) to cool oneself down and take the edge off this hell

Unfortunately I’m all out of sorbet, but I can reminisce about a few I’ve made this month.

The 3 recipes below are very simple, and give quick, chilled gratification. After churning they need to freeze for at least a few hours to firm up. If you don’t have an ice-cream machine, you can make ice-cream via this method from David Lebovitz, or this method for sorbet.

What are your favourite ice-cream and/or sorbet flavours?

Star Anise Mango & Pineapple Sorbet
Recipe by me (untested though, made once so far)

I had a few mangoes and pineapples leftover after Christmas which were perfect for turning into a refreshing sorbet. To add a bit of interest to the mix, I used 3 star anise when making the sugar syrup which gave a subtle hint of delicious spice to the finished sorbet. Although it was a little too subtle for me, so for a bigger spice flavour hit I will add more star anise next time.

• 1 cup caster sugar
• 1 cup water
• 3-5 whole star anise, depending on your tastes
• 1 chilled pineapple, peeled, cored, diced
• 2 chilled mangoes, peeled, pitted, flesh diced
• 1 tablespoon vodka (optional)

Note: adding a small amount of alcohol (try vodka, rum, champagne, etc) to the sorbet mixture prevents it from freezing completely, giving your sorbet a smoother, softer texture.

1. Place sugar, water, and star anise in a small saucepan. Stir over high heat until sugar dissolves and the mixture boils. Continue to boil for another 10 seconds then remove from heat. Allow to cool, then remove star anise and chill in the fridge.
2. Place diced pineapple and mango in a blender with half the sugar syrup and the vodka, and blend until smooth. Taste and add more sugar syrup if it isn’t sweet enough. Flavours intensify after freezing so don’t sweeten it too much – the ripeness of your fruit will also affect how much syrup you need.
3. Churn in ice-cream machine for 20 – 25 minutes.
4. Transfer to a freezer-safe container, cover tightly with clingwrap and freeze.

Mango Sorbet
Adapted from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz, via Fishtails and Pearls

This sorbet literally tastes like you’re eating mangoes – it’s so fresh, and not too sweet.

• 2 large, ripe mangoes, peeled and chopped (I used 4 small mangoes)
• 2/3 cup caster sugar
• 2/3 cup water
• 5 tsp freshly squeezed lime juice
• Pinch of salt

1. Place all ingredients into a blender (or food processor) and pulse until smooth.
2. Churn in ice-cream machine for 20 – 25 minutes.
3. Transfer to a freezer-safe container, cover tightly with clingwrap and freeze.

Coffee Ice-Cream
Recipe from Cuisinart Instruction and Manual

This is a lazy yet satisfying way to make ice-cream. No need to make a custard base for this – it simply uses cream and milk. This is a lot quicker, although it has a heavier texture and can leave a fatty feeling on the top of your mouth.

This recipe is straight from the Cuisinart Instruction and Manual booklet that came with the ice-cream machine. It was the first ice-cream I made when I was given the machine and it’s still one that we enjoy, albeit on very rare occasions due to its high guilt factor

• 1 cup whole milk, well chilled
• 3/4 cup caster sugar
• 2 – 3 tablespoons instant espresso or coffee (to taste) dissolved in a small amount (approx 1/2 – 1 tablespoon) of hot water then chilled
• 2 cups pure cream, well chilled
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. In a large bowl, use a hand mixer or whisk to combine the milk, sugar, and coffee are dissolved, about 1-2 minutes on low speed. Stir in the cream and vanilla.
2. Churn in ice-cream machine for 25 – 30 minutes.
3. Transfer to a freezer-safe container, cover tightly with clingwrap and freeze.