Ice-cream recipes: Cool treats for a hot summer

If you're trying to escape the heat this summer, look no further than these cool treats, which are decadent without being sickly sweet and really hit the spot if you want to take the summer edge off.

Popcorn ice-cream

This is my revamped version of an incredible dessert I had in London at the oh-so-hip Barnyard restaurant.

Ice cream

200ml fresh full-cream (whole) milk

100g caramel popcorn

300ml pouring cream

4 egg yolks

100g castor sugar

½ tsp natural vanilla extract

Chocolate sauce

150ml thin (pouring/whipping) cream, well chilled

200g good quality milk chocolate, roughly chopped

A few drops of liquid smoke – a condiment with a smoky flavour for flavouring sauces or marinating meats (optional)

1. To make the ice-cream, bring the milk to the boil in a saucepan, then add the popcorn (set a little aside for decoration). Let it infuse for one hour.

2. Strain the flavoured milk into a saucepan. Add the cream, stir and heat through.

3. Meanwhile, beat the egg yolks with the sugar in a mixing bowl until pale and doubled in volume. Pour the hot cream over this mixture and mix in, whisking vigorously. Return the mixture to the saucepan on the stove and stir with a wooden spoon until the custard thickens and coats the back of a spoon.

4. Take the custard off the heat and pour it immediately into a large mixing bowl to stop the cooking process. Add the vanilla extract. Let the custard cool before placing it in the fridge to cool down completely. Next, transfer it to the bowl of the ice-cream maker and start the churn cycle.

5. To make the chocolate sauce, heat the cream in a saucepan, then pour it over the chocolate in a mixing bowl. Wait for one minute, then stir together well to melt the chocolate. Add a few drops of liquid smoke. Stir well.

6. Serve the ice-cream with the hot sauce, garnished with the popcorn.

Affogato

​An incredibly effective dessert for a lunch with a chic edge. Serve the liqueur in a small glass beside the one containing the ice-cream, then serve the espresso in a small pot on the side if you feel like playing the Pinterest stylist.

6-8 small scoops vanilla ice-cream

3 espresso coffees

a little liqueur (amaretto, Tia Maria, Kahlua, Baileys, Grand Marnier), whisky, rum or cognac)

1. If you think of it ahead of time, make scoops of ice-cream in advance and place them on a tray in the freezer.

2. Make the coffees at serving time so they are hot. Place one scoop of ice-cream in the bottom of each glass or dessert bowl, then pour a little hot coffee over and a few drops of each guest's preferred alcohol or liqueur.

Serves 6 to 8

No-churn brown bread ice-cream

This ice-cream is a great classic on gastropub menus in Ireland and Great Britain.

75g brown breadcrumbs

60g light soft brown sugar

4 eggs

1 tbsp whisky

300ml pouring cream, well chilled

75g icing sugar

1. Combine the breadcrumbs with the sugar and spread on a baking tray lined with baking paper or a silicone mat. Place them under the oven grill for five minutes, until the crumbs are brown and caramelised, but make sure they don't burn. Remove from the oven and let them cool.

2. Separate the eggs. Beat the egg whites to peaks in a mixing bowl with an electric beater.

3. In another mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks with the whisky. Gently fold this mixture into the beaten egg whites.

4. In a third container, whip the cream with the icing sugar using an electric beater until light. Fold this into the previous mixture, then add the caramelised breadcrumbs.

5. Transfer everything to a large plastic airtight container and place in the freezer for at least four hours before serving.

Olive oil ice-cream

So chic as a little summer dessert! Perfect with lemon and thyme biscuits.

200ml fresh full-cream (whole) milk

100ml pouring cream, well chilled

140g castor sugar

5 egg yolks

1 pinch fine sea salt

150ml first cold-pressed olive oil

Special equipment

Ice-cream maker

1. Bring the milk and cream to the boil in a saucepan.

2. Whisk the sugar with the egg yolks in a mixing bowl until the mixture is pale and has doubled in volume.

3. Pour the hot milk over the eggs, whisking at the same time. Return everything to the saucepan and cook over a medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon. Once the custard starts to thicken, remove it from the heat and let it cool before placing it in the fridge for a few hours.

4. Mix the sea salt with the olive oil and pour into the chilled custard. Transfer everything to the bowl of the ice-cream maker and start the churn cycle.

5. Leave the ice-cream at room temperature for a few minutes before serving.

Serves 4 to 6

Strawberry cheesecake pops

900g coarsely chopped strawberries

2 tbsp white sugar

225g cream cheese, at room temperature

60g icing sugar

pink food colouring (optional)

125ml thick cream

100g crushed shortbread biscuits

2 tbsp salted butter, melted

10 wooden popsicle sticks

1. Place the strawberries in a medium bowl and sprinkle with the sugar. Allow to sit for 15 minutes at room temperature.

2. In a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese and icing sugar and beat until very well combined. Pour the strawberries and any accumulated juices into the cream cheese mixture and gently fold in. For an enhanced strawberry-looking pop, add a little pink food colouring.

3. Fold in the cream using large sweeping motions. Do not overbeat.

4. In a medium bowl, stir the shortbread crumbs and butter together. The mixture should resemble wet sand.

5. Spoon the cheesecake mixture into a popsicle mould with 10 x 90-millilitre capacity cavities, filling each three-quarters full. Bang the mould on the counter to compact the mixture.

6. Spoon in the biscuit crumb mixture and press down gently to compact, add the wooden sticks, and freeze for six hours (overnight is best).

Makes 10 ice pops