Tangy speckles of tannic pluot skin dapple this rich and creamy dessert with the texture of soft serve.

Despite the subdued, almost flabby name, soft serve always perks me up.

Unlike its denser, creamier cousin, soft serve is airy, usually swirly and what I like to call “ice cream light,” fit for any occasion. Its lightness means I can eat more of it and not feel like I’ve actually become the dairy itself. Also, I can’t think of any meal where it isn’t appropriate. Chocolate-dipped cone while on a walk? Yes. A vanilla cone in the car from a certain drive-through chain? Yes. At a picnic? Sure! At a restaurant, like Pijja Palace in Los Angeles, where they serve cookies and cardamom soft serve after tandoori spaghetti? Absolutely yes.

Soft serve is becoming more widely available, but my only gripe is I miss enjoying it in the most important place: on my sofa. OK, I have two gripes: While a vanilla cone, even a chocolate-dipped soft serve cone, is objectively delicious, more interesting flavors are harder to come by. How about horchata-flavored soft serve? Lemon? Or really, just any seasonal fruit flavor, please. Whoever is in charge at the soft serve board is perhaps a bit subdued themselves.

Canteloupe-coconut soft serve-ish ice cream by Bounty columnist Christian Reynoso.

This week’s recipes come to you out of frustration over not having more soft serve flavors to enjoy from my couch. I also have to admit, I am not a soft serve expert, because, well, to make a true soft serve, at least the kind that holds its swirly shape, you need a special, constantly churning temperature-controlled machine that most of us don’t have. Because of the unconventional method in this recipe, “soft serve-ish” might be a more appropriate name for this week’s chilly desserts. Bending the name a bit means that you don’t need the fancy machine. All you’re going to need is a blender, though ideally, one that is a bit more powerful than the average.

Besides this piece of equipment, my process is really quick and easy. I take fresh fruit, like ripe, juicy melon and stone fruit like sweet pluots with tender tannic skins, chop them into bite-size pieces, freeze them and then blend with a sweetener, a milk and that’s about it. The effect is a very quick frozen dessert that’s light like soft serve because it’s aerated in the blender.

Seems almost too simple, right? Well, another reason I add the “ish” is because this home-made soft serve is best eaten within a few hours of blending. After that, the mixture tends to firm up and will need a strong wrist to scoop out. But, like I said, these simple treats come together in about five minutes, so serve them immediately and enjoy them while they’re still soft.

Christian Reynoso is a chef, recipe developer and writer. Originally from Sonoma, he lives in San Francisco. Email: food@sfchronicle.com Instagram: @christianreynoso Twitter: @xtianreynoso

Cantaloupe-Coconut ‘Soft Serve’ With Candied Cashews

Sweet, musky melon and coconut milk blend into a refreshing dessert that’s not quite soft serve, but soft and easy to serve — and to crave.

4 cups ½-inch frozen chunks of very ripe cantaloupe

¾ cup store-bought candied cashews or almonds, roughly chopped

Chill serving bowls in the freezer. In a high-powered blender or food processor add the cantaloupe, coconut cream, lime juice, confectioners’ sugar and salt. Pulse until the cantaloupe is just tiny pieces, then blend or process until smooth and airy, about 3 to 4 minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides when needed.

Serve immediately in chilled bowls with the candied nuts on top. If the soft serve needs to firm up a bit more, transfer it to a container with a lid or even a standard loaf pan , cover with plastic, place in the freezer and chill at most a few hours after blending.

Sweet yet full of tangy little speckles of pluot skin and rich from heavy cream, this home version of soft serve is incredibly simple and comes together in minutes.

9 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar, plus more if needed

Chill serving bowls in the freezer. In a high-powered blender or food processor add the pluots, heavy cream, confectioners’ sugar and salt. Pulse the pluots into tiny pieces, then blend or process until smooth and airy, about 3 to 4 minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides when needed. Taste; if not sweet enough, add more confectioners’ sugar in 1 tablespoon increments and blend until just right.

Serve immediately in chilled bowls with flake salt sprinkled on top. If the soft serve needs to firm up a bit more, transfer it to a container with a lid or even a standard loaf pan, cover with plastic, place in the freezer and chill at most a few hours after blending.