Vegetables Recipes - Chile and Guava Ricotta Ice Cream Recipe

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

• 1 'Habanera' chili, seeded

• 4 guavas, weighing about 1 3/4 lb

• strained juice of 2 limes

• 1 cup ricotta cheese

• 6 tablespoons thick Greek-style yogurt

Makes about 4 1/2 cups

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Method:

1. Put the sugar in a small saucepan with 1 1/4 cups water and the chili. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar, then simmer briskly for 5 minutes. Leave to cool, then fish out the chili.

2. Quarter the guavas, peel, and cut into chunks. Puree in a food processor or blender with the lime juice and cooled syrup. Push through a sieve to get rid of the seeds.

3. In a large bowl, beat together the ricotta and yogurt until very smooth. Mix in the guava puree, whisking well.

4. Freeze in an ice cream maker, following the manufacturer's instructions, or pour into a shallow container, cover with plastic wrap, and freeze for about 2 hours, until hardening round the edges. Whisk until smooth, then freeze again.

Note: Variation Replace the guavas with the same weight of chopped mango. Making ice cream with ricotta cheese saves all that messing around making custard, and the results are just as creamy. You can use any chili, but the 'Habanero' is the ultimate taste experience. You may want to open the kitchen window while boiling the syrup.