Ices were the Showcase at Garden Parties
Ices (frozen desserts) were a staple at garden parties. Simple ices made of summer fruits were fancied by Edwardians, often frozen into elaborate metal moulds representing the shape of the fruits themselves. I find it an amazing feat since they did not have the convenience of our conventional freezers.
The estate dairy provided plenty of whole milk and cream so that the country house cook could also create a variety of rich ice creams to offer guests. You can recreate the same effect of moulded ices using simple silicon moulds in interesting shapes. Freezing your mixture into popsicles also counts, but feel free to simply serve your ices in small dessert bowls.
I break my own rule here about cooking without electricity. You can make ices without an ice cream maker by simply placing your mixture into the freezer to let set, and mixing it every hour or so, but it is time-consuming, and the consistency just isn’t the same. Ice cream makers aerate the mixture to give it a full rich taste, and do the work in as little as 20 minutes. Modern electric ice cream makers are compact and take all the time and labour out of the old hand-cranked versions.
Tips on Making Lower Fat Frozen Desserts
Many of the recipes I provide on this site have been lightened to some extent, and in the case of ice creams, use milk or yoghurt in place of cream and eggs.
If you have a family recipe you want to make healthier, here are a few tricks which help keep the same creamy consistency:
• Add 1–2 tbsp. cornstarch for every quart of mixture; it serves as a thickening
agent;
• Add 1–2 puréed frozen bananas; it will help provide a creamy texture;
• Replace the cream with fat free evaporated or coconut milk; it will help provide
a creamy consistency;
• Drop in 2–3 tbsp. of vodka or other alcohol into your mixture; it has a lower
freezing point will helps prevents ice crystals from forming.
Sinfully Light Frozen Chocolate Yoghurt
Ingredients
- ¼ cup sugar (or sugar substitute)
- 3 tbsp. cornstarch
- 1 (12 oz.) can fat free evaporated milk
- ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 3 tbsp. cocoa powder
- 1 cup plain non fat yoghurt
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Combine cornstarch and sugar in a saucepan, stir in the milk and chocolate chips and melt over medium heat until thickened. Keep stirring to prevent burning.
- Remove the mixture from the heat, and stir in the plain yoghurt, cocoa and vanilla. Refrigerate until chilled.
- Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker, and freeze according to manufacturing instructions which typically is 20 minutes.
