Preparation time: 20 minutes + at least 6 hours freezing
Cooking time: None
Serves: 8
Ingredients:
1 kg prepared frsh berries such as blackberries, raspberries or strawberries
2 tablespoons lemon juice
350 g (2 cups) icing sugar
600 ml fresh cream
Method:
Put the fruit, lemon juice and icing sugar into a food processor and blend until smooth. With a wooden spoon, press the mixture through a nylon sieve into a large bowl, then discard the seeds. Alternatively, if you have no food processor, start by pushing the fruit through a nylon sieve set over a large bowl. Then mix the fruit puree with the lemon juice and icing sugar, stirring well.
Whip the cream until it forms very soft peaks, then fold it gently into the fruit mixture. To freeze the mixture without an ice-cream machine, pour it into a metal or plastic container, cover and freeze for about 1.5 hours until the edges of the ice cream are frozen and the center is soft. Remove from the freezer and beat until the whole mixture is slushy then return to the freezer. Repeat this process at least twice more. For maximum flavor, eat within two weeks.
Variation:
For a smoother custard base, mix a few drops of vanilla essence into 500 ml milk and heat gently. Whisk 5 egg yolks with 60 g sugar and stir this into the hot milk. Heat gently, stirring, until it thickens, then leave it to cool. Fold the custard instead of the cream into the fruit puree then freeze.
