Lychees were first introduced into Australia by Asian immigrants during the late 1800s and they have been a joyful addition to our summer palate ever since. Lychees are available from the middle of Spring through to Autumn.

Lychees can be grown in your own garden straight from the seed and even though they can grow up to 6 feet in one year, they won't start producing fruit until they are fully mature (2+ years old). Lychees are a tropical fruit, so they love warm and moist environments. Keep your tree out of direct sunlight and make sure it has plenty of water.

Lychee and Mango Sorbet

Ingredients:

32 fresh lychees
4 ripe mangoes
¾ cup of caster sugar
1 ¼ cups warm water
2 eggwhites, lightly whisked

Method

Peel and de-seed the lychees, retaining any juice. Remove the mango flesh from the skins, discarding the stone, and roughly chop. Put lychees and mangoes in a food processor and process until smooth and well combined. Push mixture through a sieve and discard the pulp.

Combine water and sugar in a saucepan on medium heat. Cook, stirring, until sugar is dissolved. Reduce heat and allow sugar syrup to simmer, without stirring, for 10 minutes or until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and transfer to a heatproof bowl. Allow to cool completely.

Combine lychee and mango juice with the sugar syrup in a bowl and mix well. Pour mixture into a 20 x 30 cm lamington tin, cover, and place in the freezer for 1-2 hours, or until firm.

Put mixture back into the food processor and add the lightly whisked egg whites. Process mixture until smooth but do not allow the mixture to melt. Return to lamington tin and freeze for three hours or until solid.

Serve with a sprig of fresh mint.

NB: if the sorbet is still a little too lumpy after freezing, put it back in the food processor and process until smooth but not melted. Re-freeze.

Enjoy.