How to keep your cool this summer

WE show you how to make the best frozen treats to have on hand for those hot summer days.

keep cool taste dec 3

IF the joy of summer can be captured in one picture, it would be a young child who's come straight from the beach, hair still ragged from the surf and sand, zinc on the nose and, in their hand, a cone filled with a scoop of bright pink ice cream already trickling away in the heat.

Frozen treats can be as simple as a popsicle but also can easily be dressed up into something super-impressive to wow a crowd.

"Over summer there are always last-minute guests dropping in. So it's handy to have something in the freezer ready to go," says Kim Coverdale, from Super Food Ideas magazine.

FROZEN FRUIT

FOR the simplest cold treat after school, pop some fruit into the freezer in the morning and it will be ready to go that night.

In our house, frozen grapes and raspberries (preferably not straight from the box) are favourites, while Kim remembers the joy of taking a frozen orange in her lunchbox.

Fruit juice can be used to make an easy (and healthier) popsicle - try layering two different colours for a bit of wow factor.

Fruit-flavoured slushies are another winner. Throw frozen fruit into a food processor, add a little sugar if it is high in acid and some water to get things moving. A quick whiz and it's ready to drink. It's a great way of using peaches, mango and banana that can ripen too quickly when it's hot.

Make a double batch, take half out for the kids, and the adults can start concocting their own signature daiquiri or other fruity cocktail. 

FROZEN YOGHURT

ADD Greek yoghurt to the fruit puree, with a little honey or sugar for sweetening, and you have a healthy alternative to ice cream. See recipes on taste.com.au for frozen yoghurt lollipops, smoothies and a delicious torte made with rhubarb and ginger. 

DRESSING UP ICE CREAM

"THE variety of ice creams out at the moment are so good," Kim says. "It's so easy to jazz them up." Some of her ideas include:

BROWNIE PIE:

Soften mint-chocolate chip ice cream and use to top or even sandwich with a brownie, then re-freeze.

ETON MESS:

Smash up meringues and add to softened ice cream with berries, berry puree and choc bits. Re-freeze.

CHOCAHOLIC:

Break up your favourite chocolate bar and mix through softened ice cream. Serve drizzled with chocolate-fudge sauce.

TRADITIONAL CHRISTMAS:

Chop up fruit cake and add to ice cream with a dash of brandy or other spirit, fruit mince and glace cherries. Freeze in a pudding basin.

AUSSIE CHRISTMAS:

Vanilla ice cream, or raspberry sorbet, with mango pieces and toasted coconut, set in a loaf tin.