SUMMER FRUIT ICE

I’m sharing this recipe from Justine Drake’s cookbook Simply Good Food that we published in conjunction with Discovery Health. It’s a great treat to have in the freezer at all times and quick to serve on a hot summer’s day piled into chilled pretty glasses. Use lemon grass, mint or basil to flavour the fruit ice if you wish. Sweet melon, mango and berries all make wonderful fruit ices as an alternative to watermelon.

Serves 4 to 5

Ingredients

1 cup (250ml) Sweetly sugar substitute (by Nomu)
3 cups (750ml) water
1.5kg (approximately 4 cups) watermelon or other juicy summer fruit, cubed and deseeded

STEP-BY-STEP

Combine the Sweetly and water in a saucepan.

Bring to the boil and cook to dissolve Sweetly. Cool.

Purée the fruit in a blender or food processor.

Pour in the sugar syrup and whizz to combine.

Place the mixture into a shallow container and freeze.

Mash every hour or so using a fork to break up ice particles.

Repeat until smooth and freeze until set.

Scoop and serve immediately.

NOSH NOTES

• Choose ripe fruit as the natural sugar content promotes freezing and you’ll be able to use less sugar in the simple syrup.
• The general ratio of water to sugar for a simple syrup is 1:1, but I usually reduce it to 1 C water: ¾ C (180ml) sugar or better still ½ C (125ml) sugar. Fresh fruit juice can be used in place of the sugar syrup.
• If using fruit such as nectarines or peaches, you will need to peel them. To do so, place fruit in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Leave to stand for 5 minutes, remove from bowl, plunge into a bowl of ice-cold water and peel.
• Use the fruit ice as a topping for a platter of sliced fruit rather than the other way around.