Tropical fruit sherbet

A mixture of tropical fruits gives a wonderfully exotic taste, but you may use whatever is available at the time you shop. In fact, when you find some of these fruits in the store, this sherbet is a very good way to first try them.

* Makes about 1 1/2 pints

• 2 cups peeled and chopped ripe tropical fruits (guava, pineapple, mango, papaya)
• 1 cup sugar syrup
• 2 limes
• 1 cup whole milk or buttermilk

Purée or blend the tropical fruit, then press through a fine-mesh sieve if you like a really smooth texture.

Beat in the sugar syrup, finely grated rind of 1 lime and the juice of both, and the milk. Pour into a freezer container and freeze, using the hand-mixing method, breaking up two or three times during freezing.

Freeze until firm, then scoop into halved, small pineapple shells or serving dishes and sprinkle with freshly grated nutmeg. Serve with small tropical fruits such as lychee, or grapes, or toasted shreds of fresh coconut.

This ice cream can be frozen for up to 1 month. Remove from the freezer 10 minutes before serving to soften.

Variations:

• Tropical sherbet with rum

Prepare the basic recipe, replacing half the milk with white rum. Serve with a little pink grenadine poured over the top and lots of fresh fruit.

• Tropical sherbet with pineapple sauce

Serve the basic recipe topped with pineapple sauce.

• Coconut cream tropics

Prepare the basic recipe replacing the milk with coconut milk or cream. Serve topped with flakes of fresh coconut, toasted.

• Piña colada sherbet

Prepare the basic recipe, using only pineapple. Replace the sugar syrup with light rum and the milk with coconut milk. Serve in coconut shells.

• Tropical banana sherbet

When preparing the basic recipe, replace the sugar syrup with crème de banane (banana liqueur).