Banana Cinnamon Sorbet Lollies

Q is often jealous to see us eating ice cream. It's been so hot till the last few days, it is hard not to want to eat ice cream all the time. I am reluctant to give him store bought ice cream because he is only 18 months old. Homemade ice cream is easy to make and hard to compete with and you can really play around with flavour and adjust the sugar content. My ice cream maker is dead and since I can't decide between getting the Gaggia and Cuisinart, I thought making simple sorbet or semifreddo are easier.

Making fruit sorbet is so easy because they are basically just fruit ice. Basically you can make a simple sugar syrup and add fresh fruit pulp to it or use fruit juices. But I like the idea of adding cream and milk to make it healthier. Because fruits are so sweet and prime to use around this time of the year, you can get away with using less sugar.

Here's a simple recipe using banana and cinnamon - you can omit the cinnamon and try it with vanilla instead or just plain milk and cream. Make this once and you'll know how shockingly simple it is to make your own sorbet lollies!

Banana Cinnamon Sorbet Lollies

Ingredients:

2 ripe bananas

250ml double cream

250ml full cream milk

2-3 TBSP granulated sugar -- or more, depending on your taste

a pinch of cinnamon

a pinch of salt

Method:

1. Mash the banana and mix in the salt and cinnamon.

2. Heat up the milk and cream in a medium heavy based saucepan.

3. Add 2 TBSP of sugar and stir until dissolved.

4. Add the mashed banana.

5. Taste for sweetness. If you think it need more sugar, adjust accordingly. Make sure to stir till the sugar is dissolved.

6. Bring the mixture to just boil stage, whisking it all the time then transfer it to a bowl and cover with clingwrap and leave to cool.

7. Once it reaches room temperature, blitz it in the blender or food processor or using an immersion blender for 1-2 minutes. Pour it into a plastic container and freeze for at least 4-5 hours.

8. Take the sorbet out and blitz it again in the blender or use your fork to mix it thoroughly and making sure all the ice crystals are broken.

9. Place it in the lolly mould of your choice (or leave it int he container if you don't want to make lollies then you can easily scoop the sorbet out later) and freeze it for another 8 hours. Then it will be ready to eat!