We're in the middle of summer dog days:
It's hot, humid, and the sun shines until 9pm. Well, that probably applies to most of you. I live in Colorado, but not in Denver where it's 100 degrees, but in the mountains of Summit County where today's high was 62 degrees.
I may not break a sweat, but I am embracing the bounty of summer in the best way I know how.
Lots of homemade ice cream, summer berries, cherries and now homemade Italian ice cream.
I'm going to Italy sometime in the summer, but until then I can make Italian ice cream at home and pretend I'm walking the streets of Rome.The great thing about this recipe is that it's so easy. It takes only minutes to prepare and you don't need a special ice cream maker.Just use a blender or food processor and let the freezer do all the heavy lifting.
Adapted from Food Network. – Tygan Gerald
test kitchen notebook
There's no refreshing summer treat like sweet and tangy homemade Italian ice cream. Similar to popsicles, a traditional summer treat that originated in Philadelphia, Italian ice cream is usually served with water, granulated sugar (or honey in this case), fresh fruit and an occasional squeeze of lemon juice to balance everything out. It is made from readily available materials such as sweetness. It's an easy dessert to make with your kids. Bonus:
This recipe does not contain dairy or eggs.
In Italy you can find a similar frozen he dessert called granita. It can also be made without an ice cream maker or other special equipment, but granitas can have a rather rough texture (Italian ice cream is usually sorbet). However, granitas vary across Italy, so this probably depends on where you try them.
For the fluffiest texture of homemade Italian ice cream, with a fork he mixes twice or more while the ice cream is frozen. Garnish with fresh basil or mint leaves for a photo-worthy dessert. It's super easy to make, so try multiple batches with varying amounts of lemon juice to get the perfect tangy bite. And if you really want to throw an adult 21+ summer party up a notch, you can add a dash of tequila or rum to the ice.
In Italy you can find a very similar frozen he dessert called granita. It can also be made without an ice cream maker or other special equipment, but granitas have a rather coarse texture (Italian ice cream is as smooth as sorbet). For a fluffy texture, stir the ice cream several times while it is frozen. Garnish with fresh basil and mint for a photo-worthy dessert. It's very easy to make, so try it a few times with different amounts of lemon juice.