You can't lick an ice cream on a sunny day

Jul 3 2008

Ice Cream for food feature _320

ICE cream is one of summer’s essentials – whether it’s that cornet melting deliciously in the heat of the sun, or a snowy dollop on top of a bowl of strawberries, it’s a short cut to banishing the blues.

While there are a huge number of ice creams on offer, with flavours to suit any taste from sweet to savoury, some of the top quality ices can be pricey.But making your own isn’t difficult or expensive says chef and ice cream addict, Chris Tanner, who with his brother James has whipped up a feast of ice creams in a new book, Ice Cream.

He says: "Everyone loves ice cream. It’s the ultimate comfort food and the perfect finale to a meal.

"An ice cream machine takes all the hard work out of making ice cream but an equally good ice cream can be made without one. The secret to a smooth ice cream is to beat the mixture well, to break down any ice crystals that form during the churning process. The other secret to success is to use the freshest ingredients."

The Tanner brothers have appeared on TV programmes such as Ready Steady Cook, Saturday Kitchen and their own show The Tanner Brothers,

Chris, 38, tests out his recipes on his two daughters, Olivia, seven, and four-year-old Isabelle. "Making ice cream is a great way to get children interested in cooking," he says. "They enjoy all the mixing, it doesn’t take long and they can’t wait to eat the results. My kids love our Praline and Chocolate Lollipops."

The Tanners’ tips for top ices

* Good quality eggs add richness and vibrant colour to ice cream, so try to use organic or free range particularly for vanilla ice cream.

* When combined with milk, sugar and cream, eggs act as a stabiliser bringing the ingredients together and bonding them as a base custard, to which any number of sweet and savoury flavours can be added to create imaginative ice creams.

* A perfect egg custard base ensures perfect results so take care making one. Sugar and salt burn on contact with egg yolk, so they must be beaten in immediately with a whisk or spatula until completely mixed.

* When pouring hot liquid onto beaten egg yolks, remember you don’t want to scald the eggs, otherwise this will affect your end product. Always heat your custard base over a gentle flame so that the mixture doesn’t split or curdle.

* Ice Cream, by The Tanner Brothers, is published by Jacqui Small, priced £8.99. 

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