Ice Cream Machine

Active time: 1 hr Start to finish: 3 1/4 hr (includes chilling)

Because the oil in the pistachio paste separates from the solids, it is necessary to blend the contents of the entire can of paste in a food processor until it is creamy and light in texture.

"The highlight of our trip to Scotland was a stay at Knockinaam Lodge in Portpatrick, on the southwest coast," writes Walter Deegan of Fairfax, Virginia. "My wife still talks about the caramel ice cream served for dessert one evening."

We discovered that store-bought mango sorbet and ice cream were so good we could do little to improve upon them. But most store-bought raspberry sorbet lacked the color, tang, and true berry flavor of homemade.

This dessert is a trompe l'oeil, resembling the peel, rind, and flesh of a cantaloupe.

There are times when I am inspired to make a new dessert after eating something I’ve loved. But, there are also times when my inspiration comes from eating something I didn’t even like. In that case, the impetus shifts from "how can I do something as wonderful as this," to "how can I make this better?" This sweet corn ice cream came from the latter impulse. The original dessert, sampled in a small Mexican restaurant, sounded unusual and intriguing, but turned out to be riddled with distracting icy bits of corn kernels. Still, I love the corn, and was taken with the idea of doing my own, perfectly smooth and silky corn ice cream. This is the result. It is creamy-textured and luscious, with a subtle corn taste. Since the flavor of the ice cream is wholly dependent on the sweetness of the corn, make this ice cream with the freshest corn you can find.

This sorbet has summer in every bite. Be sure to use very ripe apricots, and don't neglect the lemon juice. The sorbet is best eaten right after it is made.

Orange juice and pomegranate juice enhance the light sorbet. The compote would also be good over store-bought strawberry sorbet or ice cream.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less but requires additional unattended time.

You can decorate all the cones the same way or do each one differently. If time is short, simply use purchased ice cream.

Here's a lemon-based treat that is so good it will knock you over. It's accented with blue curaçao for a striking color. For something fun, serve the sorbet in scallop shells, which are sold at cookware stores.

We call for English-style bitter orange marmalade (made with Seville oranges and often called Dundee) because other types made the ice cream too sweet and too soft. It's available at specialty foods shops and some supermarkets. This recipe makes about a dozen more florentines than you'll need for the sandwiches, but it's a good idea to have extra in case one or two break — and the cookies are delicious even without the ice cream. Active time: 1 1/2 hr Start to finish: 7 hr (includes freezing)