Easy (after) dinner recipes: Cool down fast with ice cream, sherbet and more!

It’s Friday. You’ve made it. Celebrate -- and cool off -- with homemade ice cream, sherbet and more. The simple recipes come together in minutes, and then all you have to do is freeze them until you’re ready to enjoy.

Frozen chocolate zabaglione: Love chocolate? Try a frozen chocolate zabaglione, combining Port in the base with a whipped chocolate ganache before freezing. Fully chilled, the frozen zabaglione is smooth and velvety, the rich chocolate flavor complemented with subtle hints of fruit from the Port. And it makes a perfect dessert for company, scooped into glasses and sprinkled over with chocolate shavings or fresh berries.

Blue Velvet’s goat cheese ice cream: For some, the perfect way to end a meal is with dessert; for others, cheese. Why settle for one? At Blue Velvet, the goat cheese ice cream is served with a beet financier cake, but it would work wonderfully paired with fresh strawberries or poached pears. It’s also great on its own, maybe as an appetizer or as a dessert-cheese course.

Lucques’ yogurt sherbet: With only four ingredients, dessert doesn’t get much simpler than this richly flavored sherbet, which is perfect on its own, though lends itself well to a variety of additions and flavorings. Pastry chef Christina Olufson was happy to share the recipe, which you can find below.

LUCQUES’ YOGURT SHERBET

Total time: 12 minutes, plus chilling and freezing times | Serves 4 to 6

2 cups milk, divided
1 cup sugar
1 1/4 pounds yogurt, preferably Strauss
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a medium saucepan, combine 1 cup milk with the sugar and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in the remaining 1 cup milk. Place the yogurt and vanilla in a medium bowl and slowly whisk in the milk mixture until evenly combined and smooth to make the base. Cover and refrigerate the sherbet base until fully chilled, then freeze in an ice cream maker.

Each of 6 servings: Calories 239; Protein 6 grams; Carbohydrates 42 grams; Fiber 0; Fat 6 grams; Saturated fat 4 grams; Cholesterol 20 mg; Sugar 42 grams; Sodium 79 mg.

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