Very easy
Ices
Ice lollies
These are true water ices - no churning involved, just pure natural juices sweetened and frozen. Just for fun, dip into some rich melted dark chocolate and sprinkles.
Makes 12, 4 of each flavour
Orange lollies
juice of 2 medium oranges
1 1/2 tsp caster sugar
Pomegranate lollies
Juice of 4 large pomegranates
1 tsp caster sugar
Raspberry lollies
100g raspberries
100ml spring water
squeeze of lemon juice
2 tsp caster sugar
To decorate:
125g plain (bittersweet) chocolate
30g hundreds and thousands
To make the orange lollies, put the orange juice in a bowl and mix the sugar into the juice. To make the pomegranate lollies, put the pomegranate juice into a separate bowl and mix the sugar into the juice.
To make the raspberry lollies, put the raspberries, water, lemon juice and sugar into a blender and purée. Pour into a nylon sieve set over a bowl, push gently to get the juices flowing through and discard what is left behind. Add extra water if necessary. Pour each mixture into 4 x 50ml ice lolly moulds, cover with tin foil and insert a wooden lolly stick into the centre of each. Freeze for six hours or overnight. Un-mould the lollies by running the moulds briefly under a warm running tap to loosen, put them on a wax paper-lined tray and re-freeze.
Melt the chocolate in a small bowl, and leave to cool for about 15 minutes, so it's still runny. Put the hundreds and thousands in a cup. Dip each lolly into the chocolate, let any excess drip off and then dip into the hundreds and thousands to coat the tips. Put back in the freezer until ready to eat (best eaten right away but no longer than overnight).
Watermelon granita
Use a ripe melon with deep red flesh and a rich Pinot Grigio - the flavour needs to be intense as freezing can dull it.
Serves 6-8
150g caster sugar
250ml rich white wine, such as a good quality Pinot Grigio
2.125kg ripe watermelon
juice of 1/2 lemon
Put the sugar and wine in a saucepan and heat gently to allow the sugar to dissolve, about 4 minutes. Swirl the liquid around the pan to dislodge any sugar crystals still on the bottom, then remove from the heat and leave to cool.
Cut the watermelon into slices, reserving some slices for later (to decorate the granita) and remove the flesh from the skin, picking out any easy-to-remove pips as you go. Put the flesh into a food processor and process briefly. This is to loosen the pips not pulverise them. Tip into a sieve and with the back of a ladle push all the flesh through. Discard the pips and grainy bits still left in the sieve.
When the wine syrup is cool, add the watermelon pulp and lemon juice and stir. Pour the mixture into a freezerproof container, ideally a size that allows a liquid depth of about 3cm, and freeze for 2 hours. Remove from the freezer and, using a fork, scrape the frozen mixture around the sides into the centre and refreeze. After another 3 hours, fork over again to get a nice flaky effect and serve. If keeping for longer transfer to a smaller, deeper container for easier storage. If it's left for longer and is frozen hard take it out of the freezer 15 minutes before you need it and fork over again before serving.
Roman granita with syrup
During hot summers small kiosks sell grattachecca - the Roman name for granita. Scraping big blocks of ice with an iron implement called a grattuga, thin shavings are produced, put in cups, covered with flavoured sugar syrups then topped with pieces of ice or fresh fruit.
10 ice cubes per serving
Raspberry syrup (makes 225ml)
250g raspberries
400g sugar
125ml water
juice of 1 lemon
2 tbs rosewater
Orange syrup (makes 225ml)
200g sugar
400ml cups freshly squeezed orange juice, about 4 large oranges
thin rind from one of the oranges (without pith)
juice of 1 lemon
2 tbs rosewater
To make the raspberry syrup, put the raspberries, sugar and water in a wide saucepan and dissolve the sugar over a low heat. Increase the heat and bring to the boil, then simmer rapidly for 5 minutes. Add the lemon juice and simmer for a further 8 minutes until the temperature is almost 100°C, or when the spoon leaves a parting when pulled across the bottom of the pan. Stir occasionally with a wooden spoon to prevent sticking. Put a metal sieve over a bowl and push the syrup through with the back of a ladle. Add the rosewater and pour into a bottle or jar, then cool and chill until ready to use.
To make the orange syrup, put the sugar, juice and rind in a wide saucepan and heat gently to dissolve the sugar. Increase the heat and bring to the boil, then simmer rapidly for 5 minutes. Add the lemon juice and simmer for a further 8 minutes until the temperature is almost 105C, or the spoon leaves a parting when pulled across the bottom of the pan. Stir occasionally with a wooden spoon to prevent sticking. Put a metal sieve over a bowl and push the syrup through with the back of a ladle. Add the rosewater and pour into a bottle or jar, then cool and chill until ready to use.
Both syrups will keep in the refrigerator for up to two days. If they are too gelatinous to pour add a tablespoon of water or rosewater to loosen them slightly.
For each glass crush 10 ice cubes: break the cubes up a little, then put in a food processor and process until they are crushed to your taste. Pour over the syrup and eat with a spoon.
Citrus and saffron semifreddo
This tangy semifreddo is a soft cream-based Italian dessert. You can freeze it in little glasses or scoop it into serving dishes straight from the freezer as the combination of ingredients prevents it freezing solid.
Serves 6-8
1 lime
1 lemon
150g caster sugar
75ml water
2 egg whites
150ml double cream
3/4 tsp saffron threads soaked in 2 tsp boiling water for 1 hour
Squeeze the juice from the lime and lemon and put in a large bowl with 50g of the sugar and set aside. Put the remaining sugar and the water into a small saucepan and heat gently to dissolve the sugar, about 4 minutes. Swirl the liquid around the pan to dislodge any sugar crystals still on the bottom. Increase the heat and boil to a temperature of 116C on a sugar thermometer.
Meanwhile, whisk the egg whites in a clean bowl until they form soft peaks. Gradually whisk in the hot syrup (avoid splashing it onto the whisk), and continue to whisk until the mixture cools down (about six minutes). Refrigerate to chill. Add the cream to the citrus juice and sugar mixture in the bowl and whisk together until soft peaks form. Using a large metal spoon, carefully fold the cooled meringue mixture into the cream mixture, so as not to lose any volume.
Spoon the mixture into a freezerproof container and carefully fold in the saffron to create an uneven yellow colour. (Strain out the filaments if you just want the saffron colour.) Try not to over-mix. Cover and freeze for a minimum of four and a maximum of 24 hours. Serve scooped straight from the freezer.
· Taken from Ices Italia by Linda Tubby, £20 (Pavilion). To order a copy for £18 with free UK p&p go to theguardian.com/bookshop or call 0870 836 0875
