Chilled and icy desserts

The hot weather has creeped up on us from near chilly nights and early mornings, the sun is out in all its glory, making us thirsty for anything cold, especially when we crave an after dinner delight. Chilled and icy can extend further than ice cream, to granitas, sorbets and frozen desserts, and guess what? They are so very easy to prepare at home, here are some delights to fill your freezer with this weekend.

Pink grapefruit strawberry granita

20 ozs pink grapefruit juice

¾ cup granulated sugar

1 cup water

2 cups frozen strawberries

1 tbs fresh lime juice

Combine water and sugar in a small sauce pan, bring to a boil and cook until all the sugar is melted, about 5 minutes.

Add sugar mixture to grapefruit juice.

Chop strawberries finely and stir into juice mixture along with lime juice.

Pour into a 9x13 inch baking tin and place in the freezer.

Leave for about two hours, remove and break up the mixture into fine pieces, use a wooden or plastic spoon for this.

Return to freezer and repeat the process once more. The mixture should be almost like granular ice.

Spoon into bowls and serve. Freeze the balance in a freezer proof bowl.

Serves 10 to 12.

Dragon fruit and banana sorbet with brown sugar and lime

2 cups brown sugar

2 cups water

2 bananas

2 dragon fruits

½ cup fresh lime juice (pure)

2 tsp Angostura Cocoa Bitters

Combine sugar and water in a saucepan, bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes, remove and cool.

Cut the dragon fruit in half and scoop out the pulp place in a bowl.

Puree bananas with dragon fruit pulp.

Stir in cooled syrup, bitters and fruit pulp.

Chill in freezer.

Place into in ice cream maker and churn for about 45 minutes.

Alternately place in a shallow 9x13 inch cake tin and place into freezer.

Every 20 minutes or so break up the iced over pieces, stir and return to freezer until all the mixture had become iced.

Store in containers in the freezer.

Makes 1.5 litres

Ice cream with grilled pineapple with brown sugar and rum

1 large pineapple

½ cup brown sugar

¼ cup dark rum 1 tsp bitters

1 pint coconut, soursop or vanilla ice cream

Preheat grill or broiler. Peel pineapple, remove eyes then cut into half lengthways. Now cut these lengths into eight lengths. Remove centre core. Line a shallow baking pan or dish with foil. Place pineapple into this, sprinkle with sugar, bitters and rum. Grill or broil until pineapple turns brownish and sugar starts to bubble and caramelise. Serve with ice cream.

Serves 6 to 8

Mocha dream pie

Crust

2 cups digestive biscuit crumbs or chocolate cookies

2 tbsp sugar

⅓ cup butter, melted

Place cookies in a food processor and process until crumbs form, add the sugar and butter and process for a few seconds more.

Press into the bottom of a 10 inch pie plate, bake for 5 minutes at 325F until just firm, cool.

Filling

1½ tbs gelatin

2 tbs warm water

2 tbs instant coffee granules (extra strong)

½ cup hot water

1 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs, separated

2 8 oz packages cream cheese

2 cup whipped cream

1 tbsp cocoa powder

Chocolate shavings and chocolate chips for garnish.

Dissolve gelatin in 2 tablespoons warm water, gently warm until melted.

Combine coffee with hot water and stir into gelatin mixture.

Beat eggs with ½ cup sugar, add to gelatin mixture and cook over low heat until thick, about 5 minutes, remove and cool.

Beat cream cheese until smooth, add egg and gelatin mixture, combine.

Fold in whipped cream. Spoon into prepared crust and chill overnight until firm.

Place cocoa powder into a strainer and sift over cake, line the edge with chocolate chips and sprinkle with chocolate shavings. Chill further until ready to serve.

Makes one 10 inch cheesecake.

A lighter side: Use low fat cream cheese and whipped cream

Pina colada sorbet

14 ozs pineapple chunks

½ cup coconut milk, fresh

⅓ cup granulated sugar

⅓ cup water

1 tbsp lime juice

¼ cup dark rum

Place sugar and water into a small saucepan, stir to dissolve and bring to a boil just until sugar melts, one minute, remove and cool, refrigerate until cold.

Place pineapple and coconut milk into the bowl of a food processor, process just until pineapple has been crushed into small pieces, remove and refrigerate.

Combine pineapple and coconut mixture with cold sugar syrup; stir in rum and lime juice.

Pour mixture into a 9x5-inch baking tin, freeze until firm about 4 to 6 hours.

Remove from freezer, and process in a blender or food processor until smooth but not thawed.

Place in a covered container and freeze.

Makes about 4½ cups or serves 8-9 persons.

rahamut@gmail.com

www.tonkacaribbean.com