This delicate ice cream is a taste of pure summer. For a dinner party dessert, roast an extra nectarine per guest. Don’t peel them and serve two halves per guest with the ice cream and Amaretti biscuits on the side.

Serves 4 – 6
Preparation: 10 mins plus churning/freezing
Cooking: 20 mins

INGREDIENTS
4 large ripe nectarines, halved and stoned
1 tbsp caster sugar
250g mascarpone cheese
170g caster sugar
200ml whole milk
1 tbsp Amaretto liqueur (optional)
3 or 4 small Amaretti biscuits, crumbled (optional)

METHOD

Preheat your oven to 200°C.

Put the halved nectarines in a roasting tin — cut side up. Sprinkle them with the tablespoon of caster sugar.

Roast for about 20 minutes until they feel soft when pierced with a knife and the skin peels off easily.

When cool enough to handle, peel off the skins and blitz them in a blender or food processor with the mascarpone, milk and sugar.

When it is a smooth purée. stir in the Amaretto — if using — and churn in an ice-cream machine.

If you don’t have a machine, pour the mixture into a shallow freezer-proof container with a lid. Freeze for about 45 minutes, until freezing around the edges, then whisk — with a stick blender if possible — until smooth. Return to the freezer and repeat every 30 minutes for about 2-3 hours to break down the ice crystals.

Freeze until needed but take out about 15 minutes before serving. Serve topped with the crumbled Amaretti biscuits if wished.