Nice ice: easy homemade ice-creams

You don't need an ice-cream maker and endless patience to produce your own home-made ices. Terry Farris has four quick and easy suggestions

Who doesn't like ice-cream? Whether bought at the corner shop, from a refrigerated van, or at a fashionable parlour on the Italian Riviera (arguably the best ice-cream in the world) it's one of the true small pleasures in life. But it needn't always come from somewhere else - why not try making your own? Ice-cream makers are wonderful gadgets, but you can make plenty of simple, family-friendly iced desserts without one. Most ice-creams are made using a custard base. This involves whisking raw eggs and sugar over diffused heat to achieve a light, fluffy consistency. The eggs are never cooked, however, so ice-creams made this way should be eaten in a day. There are other ice-creams which don't use eggs at all. Simply try mixing your favourite flavours into whisked cream or plain yoghurt. Sorbets and granitas are made by freezing a sugar syrup with puréed fruits. They have more of an icy, crunchy texture and are perfect for cleansing the palate between courses or as a light finish to a summer meal. Recipes Chocolate Ice-cream Frozen Orange Yoghurt Mascarpone Mocha Ice-cream Strawberry Granita