Frozen dessert doesn’t have to be difficult
Frozen desserts are the perfect finishers for any summertime meal. The simplest, of course, is frozen fruit. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
Chilled strawberries dipped in melted, extravirgin coconut oil, rolled in coconut and frozen.
Frozen bananas dipped in melted chocolate.
Half a ripe pineapple, cubed, frozen, then blended with agave nectar until smooth.
Frozen strawberries and pineapple, blended with honey and a touch of almond milk until smooth.
Fresh, puréed fruit, made into granita or Popsicles.
Frozen sliced bananas and peaches blended with a little coconut milk until smooth.
And my favourite? Frozen blueberries drizzled with extra-virgin coconut oil, then topped with homemade yogurt and cinnamon.
Ice Cream Tips & Tricks
What Makes Ice Cream Creamy?
Alcohol, fat and sugar. They don’t freeze, so they keep the texture of ice cream supple. Adding three tablespoons (45 millilitres) of a neutral alcohol such as vodka to each four cups (one litre) of your mixture will keep it creamier. It’s especially good in sorbets to prevent them from becoming too icy. Or you can use liqueurs compatible with your flavourings.
You can use lower-fat dairy products and fewer eggs or yolks than a recipe calls for, but you will not get creamy results. The higher the fat content, the less water there is to form ice crystals.
It’s also an option to replace some or all the sugar with another sweetener, such as honey, maple syrup, agave nectar or light corn syrup. Using half corn syrup and half sugar in a sorbet will give it a great texture. Agave nectar is fairly neutral but keep in mind that honey and maple syrup have their own flavours that might not be compatible with your flavourings. To use these instead of sugar, substitute ¾ of the amount of these sweeteners for the amount of sugar called for. Condensed milk works in the same way and makes very creamy ice cream. Artificial sweeteners won’t help the texture and will make a very solid frozen dessert.
Cornstarch and Powdered Milk
Both of these absorb water and the less water there is, the fewer ice crystals there will be. One-third cup (80 mL) skim milk powder to each 4 cups (one litre) of liquid dairy is a good ratio. For ice cream made with cornstarch as a thickener, see the end of the Blackberry Ice Cream recipe.
Overrun, Churning
and Freezing In the ice cream business, overrun is caused by the amount of air that is incorporated into the ice cream. As an example, if you start with 2 cups (500 mL) of ice cream base and enough air is incorporated during the churning to turn it into three cups (750 mL), the ice cream would have an overrun of 50 per cent.
Less expensive ice cream can have large overruns, up to 95 per cent; premium brands have much less, about 25 per cent. A small overrun keeps the texture creamier. Large amounts make the ice cream melt quickly and lose its creaminess. These ice creams have a foamy texture.
Churning prevents large ice crystals from forming. Freezing a bowl of ice cream base without churning it will be a very sad experience. Your home freezer is probably much colder than the freezer at your favourite gelato hang out. For the best texture, let your ice cream temper in the fridge for 15 to 20 minutes before serving.