3 Frozen Dessert Recipes From Pinch’s Alice Norman

As hot spells continue to dominate the British summer, all we want to eat is frozen treats. So for our next al fresco soiree, we’ll be trying our hand at one of these recipes from Alice Norman, owner of Suffolk bakery Pinch.

3 Frozen Recipes From Alice Norman

Blackcurrant Sorbet

Makes 2 litres

Ingredients:

• 650g blackcurrant juice (roughly 1kg whole blackcurrants)
• 350g water
• 300g sugar

Method:

1. To juice the blackcurrants, blitz them in a blender, then strain through a fine-mesh sieve lined with two layers of cheesecloth. Gather the cheesecloth and squeeze firmly to extract as much juice as possible, leaving the skins and seeds behind; blackcurrants typically yield 60–75% juice by weight.
   Heat the water and sugar until the sugar has dissolved, then add the blackcurrant juice. Gently warm the mixture to 60°C to fully combine the ingredients without dulling the fresh fruit flavour. For greater precision, use a Brix refractometer to measure the sugar content. A Brix reading of 30–33 is ideal for sorbet stored at −18°C because it provides enough sugar to keep the sorbet scoopable while still allowing it to freeze firmly.
2. Strain the mix into a container and chill.
3. Once the base is completely chilled, it’s ready to churn into a sorbet. Pour it into your ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions until it reaches the consistency of soft serve, typically 20–40 minutes depending on the machine. Transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze for 4 hours to firm up before serving.

St Jude and Blackcurrant Ripple

For the blackcurrant ripple 

Ingredients:

• 200g blackcurrants (fresh or frozen) 
• 80-100g sugar (adjust to taste) 

Method:

1. Add the blackcurrants and sugar to a small saucepan. 
2. Heat on low/medium, stirring occasionally, until the fruit softens and releases juice (about 5-8 minutes). 
3. Lightly mash the berries as they cook. 
4. Reduce slightly.
5. Let it simmer gently for another 3-5 minutes until it thickens a bit. 
6. You want a syrupy consistency, not jam. 
7. Strain the syrup through a sieve to catch the skins.
8. Allow to cool.

For the gelato 

Ingredients:

• 1125g whole milk 
• 140g double cream 
• 1-2 units × St Jude cheese depending on how ‘cheesy’ you want it (I use 1.5) 
• 120g sugar 
• 20-25g glucose syrup 
• 115g milk powder 
• 2g salt 

Method:

1. In a saucepan, combine milk, cream, sugar, glucose syrup (if using), milk powder and salt. Heat gently to 80°C (don’t boil), whisking to dissolve everything. 
2. Blend or whisk in the soft cheese until completely smooth. A hand blender works best here for a silky texture. 
3. Cool the mixture quickly (ice bath if possible), then refrigerate overnight.
4. Churn in an ice cream machine according to its instructions. 
5. When the gelato is ready, transfer a baser layer to a container, then swirl over scribbles of blackcurrant, then add another layer of gelato and repeat the process until the container is full. 
6. Freeze for 2–3 hours to firm up before serving. 

Elderflower Gelato

Ingredients:

• 560g whole milk 
• 70g double cream 
• 60g sugar 
• 10-15g glucose syrup 
• 55-60g milk powder 
• 2g fine sea salt 
• 10 stems elderflower 
• 0.5-1 g citric acid (or 1-2 tsp lemon juice) 

Method:

1. Heat milk, cream, and 10 stems of elderflower gently to about 70-75°C until steaming, then remove from heat, cover, and infuse for 2 hours.
2. Strain out the elderflower, pressing lightly, then whisk in sugar, glucose syrup, and milk powder until smooth.
3. Return to heat and bring the mixture to about 80°C, whisking to fully dissolve everything – Remove from heat, add salt, then stir in citric acid gradually, tasting until you get a light fresh acidity (be careful not to add too much, as it will curdle).
4. Cool the base quickly using an ice bath if possible, then chill in the fridge overnight. 
5. Churn in an ice cream machine according to its instructions.
6. Transfer to a container and freeze for 2 to 3 hours to firm up before serving.
7. Serve with black sesame biscuits.

Find out more about Pinch at eatpinch.com