Ice Cream Machine

Sopaipillas are crisp fried breads traditionally topped with honey; cinnamon and sugar are sometimes added to make a great dessert. In this recipe, fried tortillas approximate the texture of true sopaipillas.

At the ever-popular Cafe Pasqual's in Santa Fe, chocolate and devilishly hot chile pequín flakes come together in an ice cream not soon forgotten. Our version is rich but almost austere compared to chef Katharine Kagel's original, the recipe for which appears in Cafe Pasqual's Cookbook.

Many New England restaurants offer Grape-Nuts pudding for dessert, and several of the best ice-cream parlors make Grape-Nuts ice cream. The crunchy cereal becomes a soft savory note in sweet vanilla-flavored cream.

Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 1 1/2 hr

This recipe makes more ice cream than you'll need to fill the cones (see Coconut Tuile Cones with Passion-Fruit Ice Cream recipe), but it's so delicious you'll have no trouble getting rid of the leftovers. Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 3 1/4 hr

Executive chef Bridget Batson of Hawthorne Lane serves this dessert with homemade caramel sauce (you can use purchased if you like). If you're running short of time, omit the homemade ice cream and mix chopped peanut brittle into your favorite vanilla ice cream.

Active time: 40 min Start to finish: 2 1/2 hr (includes freezing)

Don't let the unexciting name of the recipe fool you—this ice cream is unusually good. Active time: 40 min Start to finish: 4 hr

Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 4 hr (includes chilling and freezing)

This refreshing seasonal sorbet is a wonderful mid-meal palate cleanser.

There are no eggs in this recipe — it's the cornstarch that gives the gelato a smooth, silky texture. Fine-quality chocolate provides its rich flavor. Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 5 hr (includes chilling and freezing)

What to drink: Fess Parker 2000 Late Harvest Muscat Canelli, Santa Barbara County, or another sweet dessert wine with orange and honey flavors.