How to Make Cool Summer Desserts

Decide the dessert that you want to make. Summer has lots of berries in season. Buy them fresh or frozen to add rich flavor to your dessert. You can make smoothies, sorbets, granitas, or parfaits and trifles. Summer desserts don't follow a recipe so you can experiment as you wish.

If you are making a smoothie:

Choose the fruits that you want to use. For a single serving, you need about 1/4 cup each of the fruit you like. Choose from strawberries, blueberries, raspberries or blackberries. You can add bananas or apples if you like.
Blend the fruit with 1/2 cup milk or yogurt and crushed ice till the drink is frothy and there are no chunks of fruit.
Serve chilled over crushed ice, garnished with a sprig of mint or a berry or two.

If you are making a sorbet or granita:

Make a quick simple syrup by boiling about 2/3 cup each water and sugar. Chill thoroughly. Puree 2 lbs fresh or frozen berries, add a tablespoon of lemon juice for a tangy flavor, add the simple syrup to the fruit puree and chill the mixture.
Freeze in an ice cream maker according to the machine directions or freeze in a plastic container in your freezer, removing once to break the ice crystals.

If you are making a parfait or trifle:

Make layers of cake, whipped cream, and sliced fruit, in that order, finishing with whipped cream swirled on top. Sprinkle chocolate shavings or sprinkles to dress up your summer dessert.
For a parfait, use a tall chilled glass. To make a trifle, use a transparent glass bowl so that you can see the colorful layers.

Tips:

• Fresh blueberries are rich in antioxidants. Try to add a little bit in whatever summer dessert you make.
• Chill your serving dishes and glasses so that your cool summer dessert tastes even more refreshing.
• Avoid fibrous fruits for granitas since you want a smooth flavor with them.