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.
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