The August sun in the mountains can be extreme, skin glistens from the heat and after an afternoon of playing in the sun, it’s time to cool the body down. Reaching for a frozen cooling treat might help. Ice cream comes to mind, but there are numerous other frozen desserts to consider.
Mud pie is one of my favorite ice cream desserts. It’s smooth, creamy and crunchy and it’s sweet and salty all at the same time. It is not for the faint of heart. It is pure sugar and fat, an outrageous summer treat — and easy to create.
The differences come in the ingredients. Ice cream is made with cream. Gelato, an Italian variation of ice cream, is made with more whole milk and less cream. Sorbet is made with frozen pureed fruit. Sherbet is a fruit-based dessert containing milk, shaved ice and fruit juice poured over crushed ice. Frozen yogurt is made with yogurt.
Ice cream fun & easy
Making ice cream can be fun, creative and relatively easy. The hardest thing is waiting for it to freeze. The base ingredients include cream, sugar and sometimes sweetened condensed milk. The flavor profiles are endless.
There are several ways to make ice cream with or without an ice cream maker. If you don’t have an ice cream maker, the easiest method requires a hand beater or whisk and a shallow glass freezer-safe bowl or pan. No-churn ice cream is easy to make with only three ingredients: whipped cream, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla extract.
Fruit sorbet
Fresh fruit sorbet is even simpler to make. All that is needed are the ingredients, a bit of time and patience. Sorbet is basically a frozen fruit. Many recipes use sugar, but sweet fruit will suffice if you want a low-calorie healthy version. To make sorbet, use your favorite fruit or combination of fruits and herbs such as raspberry mint or blackberry mango and freeze the fruit in a freezer bag. Once the fruit is frozen, add it to a blender with a dash of lemon juice – sugar, maple syrup or agave is optional — add to a blender and freeze it.
Epic dessert creations
Having ice cream on hand is an excellent base for an epic dessert creation. My top frozen treats this summer include berry sorbet, ice cream sandwiches, mud pie and frozen peanut butter cups.
Ice cream sandwiches are delicious and easy to make. You can bake cookies or purchase store-bought cookies, large oatmeal or chocolate chip are excellent choices. Layer your favorite ice cream flavor between two cookies and freeze until ready to enjoy.
Mud pie is one of my favorite ice cream desserts. It’s smooth, creamy and crunchy and it’s sweet and salty all at the same time. It is not for the faint of heart. It is pure sugar and fat, an outrageous summer treat — and easy to create.
Begin by crushing Oreo cookies or graham crackers with a bit of butter to hold it all together for the crust and press it into a pan. Layer softened vanilla ice cream and coffee ice cream on top of the crust. Drizzle chocolate syrup and/or Nutella and add a few dollops of peanut butter. Add some crushed Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and broken pretzel bits. Top with another layer of ice cream and swirl on chocolate syrup, Nutella or caramel on top. If you have extra Oreo cookies tuck them around the edges. Everything and anything goes in this creation. Additions and variations are part of the creative process. Consider potato chips, malt balls, frozen cherries or butterscotch.
Once you have layered your dessert, set it in the freezer to harden. This is a family hit. Popsicles, parfaits with whipped cream and berries, chocolate-covered bananas, homemade peanut butter cups and frozen yogurt (a tangy treat) are all delicious and cooling treats to help beat the heat. Almost anything can be frozen, including tiramisu and chocolate mousse.
Simple Vanilla Ice Cream without an ice cream maker
From the kitchen of Priya Hutner
2 C heavy whipping cream
1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Beat whipping cream with a mixer until stiff peaks form.
In a small bowl, mix together the sweetened condensed milk and vanilla extract.
Pour into a freezer proof glass container and freeze 4 to 6 hours.
Easy Raspberry Mint Sorbet
From the kitchen of Priya Hutner
1 C raspberries, washed & frozen
¼ C sugar
A dash of lemon juice
¼ C fresh mint
Place frozen berries in a blender with ingredients and blend. Place in back of the freezer and allow to set for 4 to 5 hours.
