Olivia Potts

Coconut ice: a no-bake treat made for the heat

  • From Spectator Life
Image: Samuel Pollen

I don’t know about you, but I find that many of the things I enjoy eating most in the summer, those things I crave when the weather is blazing hot or just plain muggy, still require some level of cooking. Those chilled soups, or sticky ribs, or even ice creams still mean standing over a hob or a barbecue or turning on the oven.

Mostly, I embrace it: a hot means to a greedy end. As someone who finds relaxation in baking and cooking, I’m not big into no-bake dishes. I’m willing to turn the oven on if it means soft, baked fruit that I can chill and serve with swoops of cool softly-whipped cream, or to light my barbecue if it means beautiful, charred fish alongside a sharp, zingy dressing.

But sometimes even I lose my patience with it all, especially if it means turning my kitchen into a sauna, or standing sweatily over a hob for hours at a time. And that’s where coconut ice is perfect: a true no-cook dish, it’s perfect for warm summer days. It takes under 15 minutes to make, doesn’t need refrigerating or freezing, and won’t melt or spoil or curdle in the heat.

Its only downside, I suppose, with the word ‘ice’ in its title and it is, in fact, in no way chilled, which seems cruel during a heatwave. With one hand I giveth, with the other I taketh away. In fact, the ‘ice’ in the title is without clear historical justification; the only proffered explanation is that the desiccated coconut does make it look a little icey in texture.

If you’re put off by the perils and complexities of confectionery, then coconut ice is the answer: 3 ingredients, no cooking whatsoever, and no technical temperatures or techniques to contend with.

Olivia Potts
Written by
Olivia Potts
Olivia Potts is a former criminal barrister who retrained as a pastry chef. She co-hosts The Spectator’s Table Talk podcast and writes Spectator Life's The Vintage Chef column. A chef and food writer, she was winner of the Fortnum and Mason's debut food book award in 2020 for her memoir A Half Baked Idea.

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