Summer Desserts and Ice Creams

Whether you’re looking for an easy, alfresco dessert or something just a little more fancy to indulge your guests, my summer desserts and ice creams are sure to sweeten the occasion. You’ll find plenty make ahead recipes that don’t mind hanging out in the fridge until their number is up, like the tiramisu, pannacottas, ice creams or no bake chocolate tarts.

The recipe for  this Vanilla Pannacotta with Rosé Syrup is a playful combination of pannacotta and pavlova. The inspiration comes from La Motte’s joyous Vin de Joie Rosé, a blushingly delicate wine, imbued with notes of nectarine, melon, Turkish delight and rose petals.  The pannacotta is cautiously sweetened, relying rather on the Rosé Syrup and fruity salsa to contrast the creamy texture.

There are more milk tart recipes than you can swing a stick at. Growing up, my Mother’s crustless milk tart made was made with such regularity.  With it’s wobbly soft custard-ness, it’s no surprise we loved it! It’s her go-to recipe for last minute guests or Sunday afternoon tea. Here, I’ve used all those deliciously local flavours for an easy milk tart ice cream. It’s no-churn recipe, side stepping the need for an ice creamer maker.

There’s nothing that says summer quite like strawberries and cream. And when it comes casual summer desserts, ice cream and frozen yoghurt are just what you need . My roast strawberry frozen yoghurt is bright and fruity, with puddles of jammy strawberries swirled throughout. It doesn’t really need a cookie to complete it, but then, when were cookies not a good idea? If you like a crisp cookie, more of a biscuit than chewy cookie, these buttery coconut cookies are snappishly crisp.

Tiramisu, Italy’s famed ‘pick me up’ dessert delivers on said promise. It’s a jubilant celebration of Marsala-laced coffee and pillowy mascarpone cream.

Three Cheat’s Ice cream recipes from Bibby’s More Good Food. Gingerbread, Turkish Delight and Blueberry ice cream.

South Africa’s Iconic Peppermint Crisp Pudding gets a makeover!

Traditionally, a peppermint crisp pudding is made in a pie dish, round or rectangular, alternating layers of biscuit and caramel cream with shards of minted chocolate. The ingredient list is as brief as the method. Here I’ve chosen to make a pie crust, filling it with whipped caramel cream, then sliding the whole affair into the freezer. Almost like a semi-freddo, only slightly firmer. 

The texture of this Amarena cherry ice cream is smooth and creamy. It’s a simple egg-free vanilla ice cream that couldn’t be easier. If you prefer a classic vanilla bean ice cream, leave out the Amarena cherries and almonds and serve with a salted caramel sauce.

Save this one for late summer when figs are in season. Alternately, red plums or a combination of strawberries and raspberries can work. The recipe for my Cardamom and fig ice cream is from the new cookbook, Bibby’s More Good Food. 

Most no-churn ice cream recipes start with condensed milk as a base. This coffee ice cream is no different. Giving it true South African charisma, I’m adding lightly crushed muesli rusks. It tastes similar to sweet Thai coffee but with chewy bits of baked buttermilk crumbs. 

If you like easy summer desserts and cocktails, my strawberry and gin  ice cream is for you. It tastes like summer holidays. Inspired by my recent trip to Italy where there almost as many gelateria as there are coffee shops, gelato is everyone’s favourite summer indulgence. There’s no shortage of flavours either. From peach Bellini, avocado and pea or pale pink watermelon, vanilla and chocolate flavours are surpassed by imaginative concoctions and novel infusions.

The Lemon Cheesecake pannacottas are essentially breakfast dressed up as dessert. They’re made with Danone Divine double cream yogurt. It is as the name suggests – Divine! Double thick and assertively lemony, with teeny pieces of lemon zest. It tastes pure cheesecake. And who can argue with that? If you are at all obsessed with cheesecake, it would be prudent to bookmark this Lemon Cheesecake Pannacotta with Saffron Orange Sauce.

If you’re new to syllabubs, here’s what they’re about.
While it sounds fancy and intimidating, a syllabub is nothing more than sweetened whipped cream with a squeeze of lemon and splash of wine. Some recipe may include a tot of brandy too. Think of it as a boozy, thickened cream milkshake. The acid in the wine along with lemon juice acts as a separator, dividing the pillowy whipped cream into a thickish, almost curd-like texture with a tangy liquid settling underneath.

Sweetmeats, not to be confused with sweetbreads, are dainty mouthfuls of deliciousness, made mostly of preserved fruits, biscuits and butter. From there, the road opens to any number of tasty additions, from coconut, dried fruit and nuts. Today we’re making a family favourite, my Cape Malay Coconut Date Balls.

If you’re looking for the Best Healthy Oat Crunchie Recipe that’s very oaty and slightly chewy, this is it. South Africa’s favourite crunchie recipe gets a healthy-ish remake with wholemeal flour, coconut oil and omega-rich seeds. I sweeten the mixture with honey and natural cane sugar. Honestly, they’re the best healthy seeded oat crunchies I’ve ever made.

With its meringue like crust and dense fudgy interior, this chocolate torte with triple chocolate mousse is nothing short of otherworldly. And fearlessly rich.

There are several rules to follow when making this salted dark chocolate tart. Choose the best quality ingredients as the flavour and integrity of each will contribute to the end result. I recommend salted butter, best quality dark chocolate (min 70% cocoa solids) and no ‘skinny’ cream, which prevents the chocolate from setting properly. To give the chocolate ganache filling a caramel-toffee like flavour, I use muscovado sugar, although Demerera or dark brown sugar will also work. 

What could be more French than Crème pâtissière summer berry tarts?  They’re the darlings of local Patisserie windows. This classic pairing of buttery pastry with velvety custard and seasonal fruit is requisite to any baker’s repertoire. Crucial to the success of any tart or quiche though, is a crisp pastry base.

The inspiration for this milk tart pancake mille-feuille came from several sources. The first is based on food from my childhood, a kind of homage to my mum for Mother’s Day. Then, after paging through The South African Milktart collection, by Mari-Louis Guy and Callie Maritz, I craved the familiar taste once more. The final push came from UK food glossy, Olive. A trendy matcha mille-feuille cake caught my eye and so this is the result.

Galettes are my favourite summer dessert. Filled with heavily perfumed fruit encased in a splintery butter pastry. My nectarine and blueberry galette is the perfect way to celebrate stoned summer fruits.

We’re completely smitten with this Honey Pannacotta cake with Rosé jelly. From the sour cream coconut cake to the chocolate and honey pannacotta, every mouthful encapsulates the sweet promise of spring.