Dessert experts from London share their favourite recipes and techniques for creating delightful frozen treats without an ice-cream machine.
Simple Homemade Frozen Desserts: Expert Tips and Recipes
In London, an array of dessert experts have shared their insights into creating delightful frozen treats without the need for an ice-cream machine, promising accessible and creative options to satisfy sweet cravings. Kitty Travers, Sophia Brothers, and Terri Mercieca, all esteemed purveyors of artisanal desserts, reveal their favourite recipes and techniques.
Granita: The Effortless Treat
Kitty Travers, owner of La Grotta Ices in London, champions granita as the simplest solution to frozen dessert needs. “All you need is a tray and a fork,” Travers notes. She advises starting with a base of berries but encourages creative variations. One such suggestion is infusing jasmine tea bags in a simple sugar syrup and mixing this fragrant infusion with fresh watermelon juice. Alternatively, she proposes soaking almonds in water, blending them with sugar and lemon peel, then adding a coffee bean-infused simple syrup to the mixture before freezing.
Half-Frozen Slab Desserts
Half-frozen desserts, such as semifreddo and parfait, are accessible and versatile alternatives to traditional ice-cream. Sophia Brothers, founder of Nonna’s Gelato in East London, highlights the ease of making semifreddo. It combines fruit, nuts, or chocolate to achieve a smooth, ice-cream-like texture without a machine. The process involves whipping double cream to soft peaks, creating an Italian meringue (sugar and water boiled to 121°C stirred into whisked egg whites), and blending the meringue with the whipped cream and a chosen puree or paste. Brothers mentions a favourite combination of strawberries with elderflower cordial, freezing the mixture overnight, and serving in scoops or slices.
Ice-Cream Accessories
For those with store-bought ice-cream, transforming it into an indulgent treat can be simple. Terri Mercieca, the owner of Happy Endings, suggests placing scoops between biscuits for easy ice-cream sandwiches. She also reminisces about homemade choc ices, stating, “Melt chocolate over simmering water, brush it inside moulds, and set in the fridge.” After filling the moulds with softened gelato, add a layer of melted chocolate on the base, then freeze. These can be customised with flavoured ice-creams or even biscuit layers. Mercieca recommends serving them with plenty of napkins.
Homemade Ice-Cream Toppings
Mercieca also suggests elevating shop-bought ice-cream with homemade toppings. Simple options like macerating berries with sugar, creating brittle, or making a caramel sauce can add a touch of luxury. Pourable options such as affogato (espresso over vanilla ice-cream), brandy, whisky, or chocolate sauce are also recommended. Sometimes, fresh passion fruit on vanilla ice-cream suffices for a refreshing and straightforward treat.
Candied Cherries
As a final flourish, Sophia Brothers advocates for candied cherries, particularly on chocolate ice-cream. The process involves heating cherries with sugar, water, and lemon, simmering until syrup-like, then cooling with a touch of almond extract for an enhanced flavour. These cherries, stored in the fridge, are ready to be added to any ice-cream dish, accompanied by whipped cream for a classic sundae experience.
These expert tips from London’s finest offer a range of creative and delicious frozen desserts that require minimal equipment, encouraging everyone to explore and enjoy the pleasures of homemade icy treats.
