Ice Cream

This wonderful ice cream is quite different from the usual orange granita. Make it a day before you want to serve it.

This too is modern.

This is not an old, traditional ice cream but one developed by Egyptian expatriates in Europe with traditional ingredients and flavorings. It is very rich. Some Indian and Middle Eastern stores sell blanched and slivered or ground pistachios. If they are not available, you will have to buy shelled pistachios and blanch them for a few moments in boiling water to detach their skins, then peel them (a time-consuming labor), and grind them. Use 1 cup shelled pistachios to obtain 1 cup ground ones.

A brilliant white milk ice cream with a chewy texture made with sahlab (called salep in Turkey), the ground-up root tuber of a member of the orchid family, is very difficult to make successfully at home, so here is a modern version that I also love. It is without sahlab, so not chewy, but the traditional flavorings of mastic and rose water give it a special appeal. You should pound, then grind the tiny lumps of gum mastic (see page 6) with a teaspoon of sugar to a fine powder with a pestle and mortar (or use a spice grinder). Use very little as otherwise the taste can be quite unpleasant.

Savoring dark chocolate daily is linked to lower levels of cortisol, a stress hormone that can lead to excess belly fat. Chocolate and flat abs? Fab.

Here's a nondairy vegan alternative. Delish.

The only difficult thing about this scrumptious ice cream is planning ahead to allow for plenty of chilling time (at least 4 hours). Your efforts will be rewarded, though, with incredibly smooth and creamy ice cream jazzed up with apples and gingersnap cookies. Apple Notes: Here's the perfect recipe for using Fuji or Gala apples. They have just the right flavor and tenderness and are easy to find. Equipment: 3- to 4-quart saucepan; 8- to 10-inch skillet; ice cream maker

This dessert playfully layers complex textures, from crisp and airy to sticky, creamy, and smooth.

There is something so fun about this ice cream. Rich, creamy, sweet with just a hint of salt, peanut butter ice cream is a special treat—especially when topped with dark fudge sauce! Use creamy peanut butter for a smooth ice cream or crunchy for a bit of texture.

This recipe has been a New York favorite since the mid-'90s, or so claims Otto pastry chef Meredith Kurtzman: "I ate something like this at Gramercy Tavern first, and later at Babbo. So it's not really new." But few have done as well as Kurtzman to capture the season&151;and so much flavor&151;in each bite.

Sweet-tart roasted Michigan cherries are balanced by pure, tangy goat cheese. Like a cherry cheesecake, but better. Goat Cheese Ice Cream pairs with many fruits, but we make it two ways: roasted red cherries go into our spring and summer versions, and in the fall we switch to Cognac figs. The cherry or fig compote can also be served on top of the ice cream, rather than layered into it. The combination of these flavors reminds me of the center of a cheese Danish. Roasted red cherries burst with concentrated sweet cherry flavor. As for the goat cheese, find a fresh, locally prepared cheese if you can; it will be the most flavorful and have the cleanest finish. Jean Mackenzie, who supplies out goat cheese, makes some of the best I have ever had. Pairs well with: Chocolate. Ice wine. Toasted hazelnuts.

Adapted from Bonnie Brae, Denver, CO If you love chocolate malted milk balls, this is the recipe for you. The malt flavor of the candies is echoed by the malted milk powder in the ice cream.

Tin roof sundaes are traditionally made of vanilla ice cream topped with chocolate sauce and a scattering of red-skinned Spanish peanuts. I couldn't resist using chocolate-covered peanuts instead and folding them into the ice cream, where they become embedded between layers of fudge ripple.

Adapted from The Daily Scoop, Barrington, RI You'll be hard pressed to find two foods creamier than ripe, sweet bananas and peanut butter; when they're combined in this ice cream it's sensational.

Everyone needs a terrific vanilla ice cream recipe in their repertoire, and here it is. Keeping a tub of homemade vanilla ice cream in my freezer is standard policy, since I can't think of any dessert that isn't made better with a scoop of vanilla ice cream melting alongside.

Making ice cream cones at home is very easy. It’s quite fun if you have an electric waffle-cone maker, although you can bake them in the oven with great success as well. The batter is simplicity itself: just a few ingredients mixed together, baked, and rolled up into cones…which is the fun part! You will need a conical cone-rolling form made of wood or plastic, or you can simply shape them around overturned teacups to make a cone-bowl hybrid. A few tips for baking cones by hand: The batter recipe can easily be doubled, allowing for a few practice cones, which may come in handy your first time making them. When baking them in the oven, I prefer to use parchment paper to line the baking sheet, rather than a silicone baking mat. Also, I let the baking sheet cool between batches or have another baking sheet handy, as the batter is much easier to handle when the baking sheets are at room temperature. To roll the cones, you may wish to wear clean rubber gloves or use a tea towel, since the just-baked cookies may be too warm for you to handle with bare hands. If using an electric ice cream cone maker, most models require 3 tablespoons of batter for each cone, so you may get 4 cones from this recipe. Follow the instructions that come with your unit.

Plan to start making this truffle-rich ice cream five days before you serve it and you'll be rewarded for the waiting. It took the chefs at St. John years to arrive at this recipe. We're glad they did.

Got eggs, sugar, and cream? Then you can make a striking Italian semifreddo. It's the lushest and creamiest of frozen desserts—no ice cream maker required.

You can make the custard base a day ahead for this chocolate chip gelato.