Icy cold treats for summer

• More summer recipes here

With warm weather on the way, it's high time for desserts to take on a cooler tone. Icy cold treats become a priority in my house, with a kick of acid from fresh citrus and other fruits to balance the sweetness.

Cucumber and Pimm's sorbet

There are few drinks that are as distinctly seasonal as Pimm's. A glass of Pimm's brimming with mint, cucumber, citrus and strawberries couldn't say summer louder if it tried. This sorbet brings together these classic elements in an elegant way.

2 lebanese cucumbers

8cm piece ginger

½ bunch of mint, picked

800ml lemonade

150g castor sugar

100ml lemon juice

80ml lime juice

100ml Pimm's, plus extra to serve

To serve: cucumber balls (use a small melon baller), mint leaves and strawberries

1. Finely grate the cucumbers into a large bowl and strain through a fine sieve, keeping all the juice (you should have about 150ml). Alternately, whiz them in a food processor until a slurry and then strain.

2. Finely grate the ginger and squeeze through a fine sieve to extract the juice (you should have about one tablespoon).

3. Add the mint leaves and lemonade to a pot and warm gently to 40C. Add the sugar and stir until dissolved. Take the lemonade off the heat and add the ginger, cucumber, lemon and lime juices. Refrigerate to chill.

4. Once chilled, strain through a fine sieve and churn the liquid in an ice-cream churn according to the manufacturer's instructions. Once the sorbet is the desired consistency, pour the Pimm's in while churning, until incorporated. Freeze for half an hour or until it has firmed up a bit but is a good consistency to scoop or quenelle.

5. Serve scoops of sorbet in glasses or champagne saucers with cucumber balls, strawberries, mint leaves and a splash of Pimm's.

Tip: This sorbet will become too firm if left in the freezer for longer than a few hours, so it's best to churn close to serving time. However, if you have everything chilled and ready to go, you can complete steps 4 and 5 when you're ready.

Drink: Pimms!

Serves 8-10

Tamarillos poached in rosé with rose geranium

Tamarillos have a beautifully distinctive flavour that is enhanced by poaching them in syrup, which also helps balance out their tartness. The rose geranium leaves add such amazing fragrance to the poaching liquid. You can sometimes get them from a specialist grocer, but a nursery is probably a safer bet; alternately use a dash of rosewater.

8-10 red tamarillos, choose ones that are heavy in the hand

750ml rosé wine

450g castor sugar

1 vanilla bean, cut in slivers

2 handfuls of rose geranium leaves

1. Bring a medium pot of water to the boil. Score a cross in the skin at the tip of the tamarillos and drop them into the boiling water for a minute or two, remove and plunge into iced water. The skins should peel off readily. Keep the skins and leave the stalks intact.

2. Bring the rosé, sugar, vanilla, geranium leaves and tamarillo skins to the boil and simmer for a couple of minutes. Remove the skins (the skins leech out colour and will give a nice red hue to the poached fruit) and reduce the heat.

3. Add the tamarillos to the liquid, cover with a circle of baking paper and poach over a low heat for 20 minutes.

4. Once cooked, leave the tamarillos to cool in the syrup (adding a dash of rosewater to taste, if using). Serve with a drizzle of the poaching syrup and cream, ice-cream, yoghurt or a slice of lemon semifreddo.

Drink: Brachetto d'Acqui

Serves 8-10

Lemon semifreddo

Semifreddo is a classic Italian dessert and though it's a lot like ice-cream, you don't need a churn to make it. The whipped cream and egg whites lighten the mix and stop it freezing solid, giving it a luscious creamy texture. This bright, lemony version is perfect with fresh or poached fruit.

4 large organic lemons, or use unwaxed

4 large (70g) organic eggs, separated

250g castor sugar

150ml pouring cream, 35 per cent fat

100ml double cream

pinch of salt

1. Line a square tin (about 21cm to 25cm) with cling film - you could also use a loaf tin or terrine mould.

2. Finely zest three of the lemons and juice all four - you will need about 200ml of juice. Mix the zest with the juice.

3. In a stand mixer, beat the yolks and sugar until pale, about eight minutes.

4. Scoop the mix into a large bowl and place over a pan of simmering water (being careful not to touch the water with the bowl) and whisk continuously to cook out the egg yolks, about five minutes. Take the bowl off the heat and whisk continuously until cool.

5. Once the mix has cooled, mix through the juice and zest until incorporated.

6. Lightly beat the pouring cream. Fold the double cream into the whipped cream and then fold this into the yolk and lemon mix.

7. Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff peaks, then fold them through the lemon mix and pour into the lined tin and freeze until firm, about six hours or preferably overnight.

8. To serve, cut into thick slices, dust with icing sugar and drizzle with simple lemon syrup or serve with strawberries or poached tamarillos.

Tip: To make a simple lemon syrup, in a small pot over a medium heat, dissolve sugar in an equal quantity of water. Take off the heat, drop in some fine lemon zest and chill for a couple of hours before using.

Drink: Botrytis riesling

Serves 8