Passion Fruit Ice Cream

On a miserably, hot and humid day when the air con breaks down and there isn't a beer or even the remote possibility of a swim in sight the next best thing is ice cream.

Passion fruit (passiflora edulis) has a fragrant aroma and a complex sweet and sour flavour. It is grown in many frost-free countries and widely consumed as a fruit or juice. It is also used to flavour desserts such as cakes and mousse, shaved ice, yogurt, soft drinks and syrup.

Besides being quite yummy, the fruit is also quite nutritious. Consumed fresh, passion fruit is high in vitamin A, vitamin C, potassium and dietary fiber. In Puerto Rico the consumption of passion fruit is believed to lower blood pressure.

This recipe for passion fruit ice cream from Falling Cloudberries - A World of Family Recipes is really yummy and easy to make.

250 ml pouring cream (single cream)

250 ml milk

230g caster sugar (superfine)

Grated rind of 1 lemon

Juice of 2 small lemons

Pulp of 6 fresh passion fruits

Put the cream, milk and sugar in a bowl and stir until dissolved. Put the rest of the ingredients in and transfer it to the ice cream maker if you have one, following the manufacturer's instructions.

If you don't have an ice cream maker don't despair. After dissolving the sugar in the mixture of cream and milk cover the bowl and put it in the freezer. After an hour, remove the bowl from the freezer and give an energetic whisk with a hand or electric whisk, then return the bowl to the freezer. Whisk again after a couple of hours, this time adding the lemon juice and rind and passion fruit pulp. Return it to the freezer. When it is nearly firm, give one last whisk, transfer it to a suitable freezing container with a lid and let it set in the freezer until it is firm.