Recipe: how to make delicious ice cream

The classic base for most ice cream is a simple custard (below), with fruit or other flavours added according to taste. But you can also make quick and easy frozen desserts based on just cream or yogurt (also below). Try traditional favourite flavours or invent your own combinations.

Serves 4

• 500 g (1 lb) mixed soft fruit (blackberries, raspberries, strawberries)
• 15 ml (1 tbsp) lemon juice
• 175 g (3/4 c) icing sugar
• 300 ml (1 1/4 c) heavy cream

1. Blend the fruit, lemon juice and icing sugar in a food processor until smooth. Press through a nylon sieve into a large bowl. Discard the seeds. Whip the cream to form soft peaks. Fold gently into fruit mixture.
2. Pour into a container and freeze as for vanilla ice cream (below), freezing and whisking in turn.

Variation: Substitute full-fat yogurt for half the cream.

Serves 4 to 6

• 500 ml (2 c) heavy cream
• 1 vanilla pod, split
• 125 g (1/2 c) superfine (caster) or granulated sugar
• 150 ml (2/3 c) water
• 4 egg yolks

1. Bring the cream almost to the boiling point, remove from the heat and drop in the vanilla pod. Leave to cool. Scrape the seeds from the pod and leave them in the mixture, discarding the pod itself.
2. Dissolve the sugar in the water and boil until syrupy (it should form threads between finger and thumb when cooled). Whisk the egg yolks in a large bowl, gradually pouring in the syrup, followed by the cream. Pour into a plastic container and freeze for one to two hours or until the edges are frozen.
3. Tip the mixture into a bowl and whisk well; this breaks down any ice crystals in the mix. Return to the container and freeze again. Repeat the freezing and whisking twice more until the ice cream is smooth and completely frozen.

Variations: Instead of the vanilla pod use seven millilitres (1 1/2 teaspoons) vanilla extract, adding it directly to the cream. Before freezing, you can add nuts, coffee essence, chocolate chips or chopped chocolate.