I decided a long time ago that never would such terrible words spit out of my mouth “It’s too cold for ice cream”. It is never too cold for ice cream!!!…..please say this out loud 100 times!

The love affair I have with my ice cream machine is no secret. The addiciton I have means I churn a couple of times every week and on many occasion, we enjoy the results in our cooking classes. Our guests are always pleased for this unexpected addition that’s not on their menu but just a little perk or a little ‘love in a bowl’. It’s tempting to keep it all to myself and not tell anyone that I danced with my ice cream machine that day but then I figure there’d be a lot of additional dancing to be done on my part to avoid an ever increasing pant size and well, who has time for that much dancing when there’s good ice cream to be had?

These days, many of the ice cream machines on the market are inexpensive, particularly if you buy one like mine that doesnt have a compressor but instead relies on a little freezer space so the bowl is always ready to go.

We had artic conditions in Melbourne this week but the coconut, lime & syrup lured me in. This flavour combination can only make you think of kicking back on a warm tropical Island.  Once again I find myself dancing to the dulcet tones of my ice cream machine and I said ‘Baaaaaah’ to all that wind and rain. Enjoy!

Coconut sorbet

150g caster sugar
150ml water
1 cinnamon stick
1 piece lime rind
400ml coconut milk
50ml coconut cream
2 tablespoons of toasted coconut for serving

Place sugar in a saucepan with water, and stir over low heat to dissolve sugar. Add cinnamon and lime rind, simmer for 5 minutes, then stir in coconut milk and remove from heat. Allow to cool completely in the refridgerator.

Churn in an ice cream machine according to your manufacturers instructions but generally it is for approximately 25 minutes!

Oranges in lime syrup

This is such a beautiful & simple dessert that can & should be made in advance. It is lovely garnished with edible flowers and served with the coconut sorbet.

3 oranges, peeled with all white pith removed and segmented
100g caster sugar
100ml water
2 tablespoons of lime juice

Bring 100g sugar and 100ml water to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar (1-2 minutes). Add lime juice, set aside to cool. Add the orange segments to the chilled syrup and chill in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Divide orange among serving glasses, drizzle with the lime syrup, scatter with edible flowers or mint leaves and serve with coconut sorbet.

Enjoy!