Frozen Treats: History, Differences, Recipes and Serving Ideas
Granita, Sorbet, Ice Cream, Semifreddo & Frozen Yogurt
As summer approaches, homemade frozen treats tempt my taste buds and excite my food-obsessed mind. While I can enjoy ice cream from a van or opt for sorbet at a fancy restaurant, nothing compares to having these delightful homemade frozen treats stored in my freezer for those scorching summer days.
In this post I’ll give you information about the origins of my favourite homemade frozen treats and how they became what they are today. I’ll outline the differences between the various styles and then, most importantly, how to make them. The possibilities are literally endless. I’ll give you the knowledge, starting points, the skills you’ll need to make them all then back this up with some ideas and recipes to try. After that, it’s up to you to experiment to your heart’s content and make your own fabulous creations.
Origin Stories
Origin Stories
Frozen desserts have a history dating back to ancient civilisations. One of the earliest known references is the Chinese Tang Dynasty (618-907AD). Here a mixture of milk, rice and snow was prepared with camphor. Persia, or modern day Iran, had the dish ‘faloodeh’. This was made by combining rose water, vermicelli (a spaghetti like noodle made from rice flour) and ice. The ancient Egyptians also had a rudimentary form of sorbet. this one was made by mixing fruit juice or honey with snow from the surrounding mountainous areas.
During the Middle Ages, Arab expansion and the subsequent trade routes brought new flavours and culinary traditions to Europe. Among these, people made a dessert called ‘sharbat’ by combining fruit juices with sugar and ice. Arab influence grew in the Mediterranean region where a lot of the frozen desserts we know today came into existence.
Italy became key in this development due to its location in the Meditteranean. Renaissance era Italy marked a key point in the evolution of frozen desserts when the nobility embraced it as a status symbol. They quickly developed a passion for experimenting with new flavours and ingredients. From here it spread culturally across Europe. In the 17th century the French stuck their culinary oar into the mix when Italian nobility married into the French Royal Court. This quickly became linked with fashionable refinement and became ever more sophisticated.
Over time the Italians and the French began experimenting with new recipes and techniques. They added ingredients like milk, eggs, and sweeteners to create a creamier and richer version. These treats became more like the ice creams that we know today.
In the 19th and 20th centuries, advancements in refrigeration techniques revolutionised the development of frozen desserts. In America in particular, the introduction of commercial and home freezers and of mechanical ice cream making machines led to frozen desserts quickly becoming widespread in restaurants, specialist ice cream parlours and then homes across the developed world.
THE 5 MAIN STYLES
A huge variety of frozen desserts exist across the modern world today. They range from ice lollies to mass produced ice creams through sundaes to molecular gastronomy’s science powered flights of fantasy.
Here are the 5 main homemade frozen treats that I believe every home cook should know. Mastering the basic techniques of these desserts will prepare you for everything from soothing an overheated child on a hot summer day to impressing guests at a sophisticated dinner party with your friends and loved ones.
Granita
Granita
This recipe is a delicious, granular, icy frozen dessert and its origins can very clearly be traced back to the Italian island of Sicily. Its roots are grounded in the Arab influence on Sicilian culture during the Middle Ages. The Arabs introduced a method of freezing fruit juices mixed with snow or ice, which eventually evolved into the creation of granita. This practice was particularly prevalent in the coastal areas of Sicily, where ice and snow were more accessible.
Over time, the concept of combining fruit juices with ice or snow spread throughout Sicily and became known as “sherbetto.” People made this by combining lemon juice, sugar, and snow, resulting in a tangy and refreshing dessert.
In the 17th century, the concept of sherbetto evolved into what is now known as granita. The invention of the “mescitrice,” a wooden tool used to scrape the icy mixture, allowed for the creation of a finer and more crystalline texture. The mescitrice scraped the semi-frozen mixture repeatedly to create those delicate ice crystals.
Granita became deeply ingrained in Sicilian culture, especially in the city of Messina. Locals often enjoyed granita as a morning treat, indulging in it alongside a freshly baked brioche. They would tear the brioche into pieces to scoop up the granita, creating a unique combination of flavors and textures. Trust me, a granita and brioche sandwich is an unexpected thing of joy!
The flavours expanded beyond lemon to include other local variants, such as almond, coffee, pistachio, and strawberry. Each region developed its own variations, with different combinations of flavours and ingredients. As time went on, the popularity of granita spread way beyond Sicily.
Today, people continue to cherish granita as a beloved Sicilian speciality, enjoying it not only as a dessert but also as an accompaniment to an espresso on a hot summer day. It has gained international recognition, and you will find variations of granita in different parts of the world, each with its own local twist.
The development of granita showcases beautifully how different cultures can combine with natural resources to create local speciality dishes. These unique dishes can furnish not only great taste but also long lasting local pride. It stands as a testament to Sicily’s rich culinary history. Granita remains cherished as a beloved Sicilian classic gastronomically and culturally.
As homemade frozen treats go, this one is so simple to make. Pour the liquid mixture for your granita into a shallow pan or dish and place in the freezer. Over the course of its freezing time, scrape the mixture with a fork or similar tool every 30 minutes or so. This process breaks up the ice crystals and creates that distinctive grainy texture.
Click here for gorgeous Granita Recipes
Sorbet
Sorbet
Whilst still an ice based dessert, sorbet has a smooth and creamy texture, despite usually being dairy free. Sorbet has a light and refreshing mouthfeel. It is typically served at a slightly higher temperature than ice cream, allowing it to melt quickly on the tongue. This quick melting contributes to the sensation of lightness, freshness and gives it its famous ability to cleanse the palate.
As mentioned previously, the sorbet came into its own in France. King Louis XIV went so far as to appoint a royal sorbet maker called Francesco Procopio dei Coltelli. He was Sicilian (of course!) and was integral to the sorbets development and growth in popularity after he opened Café Procope. Here he served various flavours of sorbet to the French elite. The French continued to refine new techniques to achieve ever smoother variations by such methods as adding fruit purees and sugar syrups. Flavour ranges too diversified with variations such as lavender, rose, and champagne, which became popular among the French nobility.
Sorbet became an integral part of French gastronomy, particularly in between courses as a palate cleanser. It was, and is, served to refresh the taste buds and prepare the palate for the next course during elaborate meals. This recipe is a signpost of refinement and elegance in French cuisine. In some ways it can be look at as granitas’ stuck up, fancy cousin.
Sorbet has a smoother and softer texture when compared to granita and other homemade frozen treats. It has a consistency more similar to ice cream or gelato, with a velvety mouthfeel. Unlike granita, where the whole point is to create those distinctive ice crystals, you make sorbet by churning the mixture, either by hand or by ice cream machine. This process both incorporates air and helps stop the formation of ice crystals to leave a smooth, luxurious texture.
Click here for seductive Sorbet Recipes
Ice Cream
Ice Cream
Perhaps the most popular and widely recognised homemade frozen treats of them all! The much loved creamy and smooth texture is achieved by adding dairy into the mix. It’s these fats and proteins that give ice cream its unique qualities. Because of the dairy, ice cream melts slower in the mouth than most frozen desserts. It’s those fats that create the velvety mouthfeel. They spread smoothly across the tongue coating your mouth with that rich, luxurious aftertaste.
The addition of dairy in the 17th and 18th centuries marked significant movement towards what we would consider to be ice cream. Around this time, inventors created hand-cranked ice cream makers, which involved placing the ice cream mixture in wooden barrels surrounded by ice and salt. They manually rotated the mixture until it froze.
In the late 18th century, with the huge influx of European immigrants, ice cream first gained mass popularity in America. The first recorded advertisement for ice cream in the United States appeared in the New York Gazette as long ago as 1777. Ice cream shops and parlours quickly started appearing, catering to the ever growing demand.
During the 19th century Industrial Revolution, ice cream production further advanced with the invention of mechanical ice cream makers. These machines reduced the effort required to churn ice cream, allowing for mass production and making it commercially viable. Ice cream’s popularity soared as it became more affordable and readily available to the general public. Subsequently, the mass availability of home freezing soon helped it become a common treat enjoyed by people of various social classes.
In essence, you make ice cream by churning a mixture of cream, milk, and sugar. To this, add flavourings such as vanilla, chocolate, fruit or whatever your heart desires. The fat content from the dairy helps create a stable emulsion, which ensures its smooth and creamy texture. To further enhance the texture, you can add emulsifiers like egg yolks or stabilisers . The subsequent churning process both incorporates air into the mixture and prevents ice crystals from forming.
If you don’t have an ice cream machine, fear not, here are several alternative techniques you can use to make these homemade frozen treats manually: Manual methods are included in the linked step by step recipe guides
Stirring: Prepare the mixture according to your recipe, freeze it, and regularly remove it to vigorously mix until achieving the desired texture.
Blending: Place your mixture in a blender and blitz until smooth and aerated, then follow the whisking method. You can achieve this by placing a bowl inside a larger bowl partially filled with ice and water. When in this ice bath, whisk vigorously for a few minutes and then follow the stirring process.
Bag & Shake: Place your mixture in a resealable plastic bag and part fill a larger resealable plastic bag with ice and salt. Shake vigorously for 5-10 minutes, wipe the salt off the smaller bag and serve or store. Try this one with the kids if you’re brave enough!
Click here for incredible Ice Cream recipes
Semifreddo
Semifreddo
A delightful, elegant Italian dessert that is often described as being half way between a mousse and an ice cream. Literally meaning half frozen, semifreddo was born in Italy sometime in the early 1900’s. It was created as a lighter alternative to ice cream and its texture and consistency are reminiscent of zabaglione, a popular Italian custard-like dessert made with eggs, sugar, and wine. The concept of freezing a creamy dessert like zabaglione probably led to the development of semifreddo.
Today, semifreddo continues to be a popular dessert both in Italy and internationally. Enjoy it during special occasions, revelling in the balance between the richness of ice cream and the lightness of mousse. Serve it cold, but not frozen to enjoy an entirely different mouthfeel to ice cream. Semifreddo showcases the creativity and artistry of chefs who can create delightful flavour combinations and beautiful presentations. Served it layered between sponges or biscuits, or with fruit sauces. The layering brings different textures but you can also serve semifreddo by the slice, onto a chilled plate, with a simple fruit accompaniment.
The technique to make semifreddo involves creating a base mixture by combining eggs, sugar, and flavourings. These might include vanilla extract, chocolate, or perhaps fruit puree. After this fold whipped cream into the base to add airiness and lightness. Unlike traditional ice cream, semifreddo does not require churning in an ice cream maker. This makes semifreddo an ideal treat for you to create at home.
The freezing process firms up the dessert while retaining a semi-frozen, mousse-like consistency. The absence of churning makes this particular beautiful dessert easier to prepare than traditional ice cream. It requires neither an ice cream machine nor frequent stirring. The result is a velvety and smooth dessert with a light and airy texture. The most sophisticated of frozen homemade treats.
Click here for sophisticated Semifreddo Recipes
Frozen Yogurt
Frozen Yogurt
Also known as “froyo,” frozen yogurt has a tangy taste and a smooth and creamy texture. It’s made by freezing a simple mixture of yogurt, milk, sugar, and flavourings. The origins of frozen yogurt can be traced back to the 1970’s in the United States. It was created as a healthier alternative to ice cream because of its lower fat content. It was initially marketed as “Frogurt”. This is a portmanteau of ‘frozen’ and ‘yogurt’, a name which I much prefer and just makes me smile.
In the 1980’s and 1990’s, frozen yogurt saw a surge in popularity with the emergence of numerous chains and shops. It became a go-to dessert for those seeking a lighter and healthier indulgence. As time progressed, people highlighted other health benefits by acknowledging the live bacterial cultures contained in the yogurt. These cultures provide the characteristic tanginess and provide potential gut health benefits associated with consuming yogurt.
With the rise of the wellness movement, frozen yogurt shops started offering more natural and organic ingredients. Sugar-free and low-calorie options grew in popularity. More recently still, non-dairy and vegan frozen yogurt options also became available, catering to individuals with dietary restrictions.
The process of making frozen yogurt involves combining yogurt, milk, sugar, and flavourings. Then churn the mixture in a frozen yogurt machine or an ice cream maker. The machine freezes the mixture while continuously stirring it, resulting in that ever popular creamy, smooth texture. The healthy option of homemade frozen treats.
Click here for fabulous Frozen Yogurt recipes
Homemade Frozen Treats
I usually have at least 2 or 3 of these different styles of homemade frozen treats in my freezer at any one time, partly because I love to eat good food but also because they are an excellent way to use up fruit and various other ingredients. Make them in small or large batches and obviously they’ll last a long time in the freezer. In my household we eat ice creams and frozen yogurts as more common desserts and perhaps sorbets and semifeddos more at a dinner party.
I have to admit though, I have a particular fondness for granita. So simple to make, so versatile and so damn delicious on a hot day. I first tried it many years ago on a short break to Sicily, the memory of sitting outside a little cafe in the beautiful medieval town of Taormina in ferocious heat and tasting this crisp, icy treat for the first time is fresh in my mind. Food is such a clear memory trigger for me and this one is very special indeed, a sense of history, of a dish with its roots firmly in towns like Taormina, the surroundings and the sheer perfection of that dish, in that place, at that time. Wonderful.
On that same trip, we also visited the lava caves surrounding Mount Etna where farmers traditionally used to store fruit. These caves provide a naturally cool and consistent temperature because of the insulating properties of the volcanic rocks and using them as food stores dates back centuries. These caves were the location of the origin story for granita! That snow, easing into the cracks in the roof of the caves, would sometimes mix with the fruit and the farmers would eat it as a cooling treat.
Now this may or may not be true but it is a lovely story and even totally plausible but I don’t really care if it’s entirely factual or not. It serves as an example of how local produce, geological features, and farming practices, can combine to create a dish perfectly suited to its environment.
I really hope you try some of the recipes for homemade frozen treats I’ve given you here. The difference between shop bought and self made is huge and with these homemade frozen treats I’ll give you high rewards for relatively little effort. Use your imagination and make them your own. I absolutely believe that once you make a recipe, it becomes yours to enjoy or to share with friends and family.
Put that feeling of satisfaction in your soul, put that smile on someone’s face that only comes from the gift of giving them something delicious to eat and make those memories that we all have from food. Food is one of our most basic, elemental needs and great food with those we love is one of the strongest bonds that holds us together. Get out those bowls and blenders and go for it!