In the mood for ice cream?

Mascarpone and Sour Cherry

This more traditional ice cream takes a little more time as it uses a custard base but has the most wonderfully unctuous and indulgent texture, making it worth the extra effort. Churn in an ice cream maker for the smoothest and most brilliant texture.

Serves 6

100ml double cream

140ml semi-skimmed milk

3 egg yolks (approx. 60g)

170g caster sugar

250g mascarpone cheese

3 generous tbsp tinned/ jarred sour cherries in syrup

Method

To make the custard, measure out the cream, milk and sugar into a small saucepan. Warm the mixture over a medium heat, stirring regularly, until all the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is just about to come to the boil.

Meanwhile, put the egg yolks in a small bowl and whisk them briefly.

Once the sweet cream mixture has just reached boiling point, remove it from the heat and slowly pour it over the egg yolks, whisking them constantly. Pour in a slow and steady trickle to avoid overheating your eggs and ruining your custard.

Once all the cream has been whisked into the eggs, return the mix to the pan and place over a medium heat.

Lemon and Ginger Sorbet

Light and refreshing, this is the perfect treat for a hot afternoon. This sorbet can be made with or without an ice cream maker.

Serves 4

360g full-fat Greek yoghurt

zest 1 lemon

30ml lemon juice (approx. 1 ½ lemons)

10g fresh ginger

2 heaped tsp chopped stem ginger in syrup

70g caster sugar

Method

Zest the lemon and set aside. Now squeeze the juice into a small pan. Weigh the sugar into the pan too.

Peel the ginger and grate it into the pan.

Over a medium heat, warm the sugar and lemon until the sugar has all dissolved, leaving a syrup. Turn off the heat and leave to cool for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavour of the ginger to infuse and the mixture to become completely cool.

Weigh the yoghurt into a bowl and stir through the zest and the 2 heaped tsps chopped stem ginger. (If you’re using whole stem ginger, finely chop it first and add a generous amount of the syrup too.)

Strain the sugar syrup through a fine sieve into the bowl of yoghurt. This will remove the stringy lumps of ginger.

Whisk the mixture thoroughly to combine.

Churn the mixture in your ice cream maker until the desired sorbet consistency is achieved OR transfer to a large freezer-safe container and pop the mixture directly into the freezer. After an hour, take the mixture out of the freezer and whisk it thoroughly to break up the ice crystals. Repeat this step 3 times, and then leave it to set for a further couple of hours before serving.

The regular whisking helps break up the ice crystals, helping to give it a smooth consistency.