Take 3 – fruit ice cream (vegan; dairy-free; gluten-free)

Vegan_dairy-free_gluten-free_3_ingredient_fruit_ice_cream — Super cool and refreshing. Image: Kathryn Hawkins

Hello again. It’s been super-warm here in the UK for several days now, so, it feels the right time to publish an easy ice cream recipe. Of course, this will mean that the weather is guaranteed to break, but hey ho, we do need some rain 🙂

A_scoop_of_3_ingredient_fruit_ice_cream — Fruity scoop. Image: Kathryn Hawkins

This ice cream really is very easy to make. Just 3 ingredients. No ice cream machine required although you can of course use one if you prefer. You will need to use a bit of elbow-grease to beat the mixture twice, but that’s the only effort necessary.

3_ingredients_to_make_fruit_ice_cream — Take 3: fruit, cream and condensed milk. Image: Kathryn Hawkins

You can make the ice cream with any fruit. I happened to have a lot of physalis (Cape gooseberries) when I made up this batch. Fruits like gooseberries, blackberries, cherries, apricots, plums, blackcurrants and other currants will need to be cooked into a pulp for best results, but other softer fruits like raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, peach and mango can just be blitzed in a blender. Whether you sieve to remove seeds is up to you. I prefer the added texture from seeds and skins and use the pulp as it is.

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

300g ripe fruit for cooking such as physalis, gooseberries, blackberries, black or red currants OR 250ml-275ml unsweetened fresh fruit purée
370g can plant-based condensed milk
400ml plant-based double cream

1. To prepare fruit for cooking, place in a saucepan with 2tbsp water, heat until steaming, then cover and simmer for 5-7 minutes until soft. Leave to cool them blitz with a blender until smooth. Sieve if preferred.

Cooking_physalis_fruit — Making cooked fruit purée. Images: Kathryn Hawkins

2. Pour the fruit purée into a freezer-proof container and mix in the condensed milk.

3. Whip the cream until softly peaking then fold into the mixture, stirring well until combined.

4. Freeze for about 2hr until the mixture is soft and slushy. Beat well to break up the mixture and return to the freezer for a further 45-60 minutes until it has firmed up again. Beat once more, then keep in the freezer until ready to serve.

3_ingredient_fruit_ice_cream_step_by_step — Preparing the ice cream. Images: Kathryn Hawkins

And that’s it. If your freezer is particularly cold, you may need to let the ice cream stand at room temperature for a few minutes before scooping. For longer term storing, pop a lid on the container, and keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.