SUMMER frost

There is something calming and meditative about ice creams--icy desserts in general--particularly when savored on a sweltering summer day, such as Fourth of July promises to be. As the frosty morsel melts in your mouth, it freezes you for a moment, taking you to sensuous, refreshing heights.

The cooling ecstasy from ice cream isn’t just a summer craving. At least not in California, where it’s a sought-after feeling year round. The state holds the record of producing the largest volume of ice cream and related products nationwide.

In restaurants, dessert orders for ice cream are back on the upswing after a dip in 1986, according to the National Restaurant Assn. “People are again willing to eat desserts,” Ron Barbata, pastry chef at Cafe Jacoulet in Old Town Pasadena said. “We all grew up eating ice cream, and now it’s respectable to use the all-American favorite cold goodness of ice cream and its spin-offs in desserts.”

“Retro” diners and ice cream parlors offer patrons sky-high sundaes and jolting milkshakes. While true addicts get their icy fixes at these fun places (or by hiding in a corner in the privacy of their homes), those with more control are just as fulfilled with tinier, richer scoops served in other eating places.

The growing appeal of frosty desserts has inspired chefs to make their own ice creams, gelati, ices and sorbets. It’s a great opportunity for these chefs to provide better taste and calorie or cholesterol control, to introduce an uncommon ingredient (how about tarragon in sorbet or Mexican chiles in Southwest-flavored ice cream, for instance?) and of course, to ensure freshness.

Another trend entices the visual senses, compensating for smaller ice cream portions with beautiful presentations. Some fancy chefs go as far as to orchestrate dessert plates nouvelle style--by simply staying away from the shape of scoops. To make embellishing an easier task, they frequently use fresh fruits, berries and exotic fruits as well as rich-tasting sauces and purees.

When he’s in a more artistic mood, Barbata likes to “paint” his plate with a brightly colored puree of fruit and set a wedge or square of ice cream terrine on top. Barbata’s repertoire of frozen finales doesn’t stop at being canvas-pretty. Popular with his customers is his delicious Frozen Chocolate Raspberry Mousse Parfait. Layers of chocolate and raspberry mousse alternate in a goblet and meld in the mouth for a sensational taste experience. What’s interesting about this creation is that the consistency doesn’t melt quickly.

Favored for their low-calorie advantage, ices are on the rise on dessert lists. Characterized by nondairy, water-based mixtures, ices evolved in biblical times, with records referring to King Solomon’s fondness for ice drinks. History also tells us that during the Roman Empire, Nero Claudius Caesar (AD 54-86) frequently sent teams of runners into the mountains to get snow, which was then flavored with honey, fruits and juices.

The modern ice or sorbet doesn’t have to be crude or bland. Times food stylist Donna Deane developed some interesting but easy-to-make ices that she highlighted with anise, rose and jasmine flavorings. Churning them in an ice cream machine aerated the aromatic ices to a lush and creamy “snow.”

Going back to richness, one frozen dessert that exemplifies this calorie-laden category is Hazelnut Gelato, adapted from Lora Brody’s book “Indulgences.” It’s like eating butter cream, and to increase your guilt further, it’s served with a Frangelico liqueur-spiked whipped cream. Intensely flavored and denser than ice creams, gelati are best served in a semi-frozen state. These desserts usually consist of sweeteners, milk, cream, egg yolks and flavorings.

Zesty Citrus Ice Cream

Grapefruit fans will rave over Marlene Brown’s creamy yet tangy Grapefruit Ice Cream, which is dotted with grapefruit zest. The food writer/stylist shared the recipe from her forthcoming book, “The Complete Guide to International Produce.”

Another good one for the adventurer is pink Ginger Ice Cream, developed by Judy Zeidler for her “Gourmet Jewish Cookbook.” Definitely not for those avoiding cholesterol, it’s loaded with eight egg yolks per quart batch. This custard-style ice cream is surprisingly rich and scrumptious, with a very finely textured base (that could be attributed to the stabilizing effect of egg yolks that reduces the size of ice crystals in the mixture.)

Basil herb and lemon zest worked together to create a highly interesting new flavor note in our basil ice cream. The custard base can be microwaved for convenience. It’s best to finely mince the basil leaves for a smoother “mouthfeel.”

Frozen items don’t have to be sweet, not in the case of some palate refreshers, which are usually found in the forms of ices and sorbets. Perfect fruits for this category are melons. In the recipe for Melon Sorbets With Tomato Puree (included in her artistically illustrated cookbook called “Fruit”), Amy Nathan adds carbonated lime beverage to cantaloupe and honeydew purees that are then churned to scooping consistency. A pool of fresh Roma tomatoes with Pernod makes an unusual but complementary addition.

If you decide it’s too much trouble to make your own frozen confection, try some of the new premium frozen yogurt products. One of the latest additions comes from Honey Hill Farms in San Francisco. Capitalizing on the popularity of frozen yogurt (introduced in 1972, it’s now a $1-billion industry), Honey Hill Farms decided to go a different route by introducing seven flavors.

The line of attractively packaged pint-size cartons ($2.29) includes flavors such as Chocolate Thunder, Peach Orchard, Vanilla Velvet, White Almond Chocolate, Cookie Jar, Strawberry Avalanche and Vanilla Chocolate Hunk. Due to a special freezing and aerating process, the product has a wonderful smooth texture and creamy flavor that make you think you’re eating ice cream. The product’s biggest bonus? It contains one-third the fat of ice cream and about one-third fewer calories (110 for a three-ounce serving).

ANISE ICE

4 cups water

1 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon anise flavoring

2 teaspoons lemon juice

Combine water, sugar, anise flavoring and lemon juice. Churn in ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s directions. Spoon into chilled sherbet glasses. Garnish with edible flowers, mint leaves or anise stars, if desired. Makes about 1 quart.

Variation: Rose Ice: Use 1/4 teaspoon rose flavoring in place of anise.

Jasmine Ice: Use 1/2 teaspoon jasmine flavoring in place of anise.

CAFE JACOULET’S

CHOCOLATE-RASBERRY

MOUSSE PARFAIT

1 1/4 cups milk

1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped

6 egg yolks

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

3/4 pound bittersweet chocolate, chopped

2 cups whipping cream

Raspberry Mousse

Raspberry Sauce

Scald milk with scraped vanilla bean in heavy saucepan over medium heat until cream rises. Combine egg yolks and sugar in bowl. Whisk until light-colored. Add half of milk mixture to yolk mixture in bowl, whisking to blend. Return to pan and cook over medium heat until mixture coats back of spoon.

Strain mixture. Quickly add chopped chocolate to hot mixture to melt. Cool. Whip cream until soft peaks form. Fold into chocolate mixture (will make 7 cups).

Alternately spoon about 1/3 to 1/2 cup chocolate mixture with 1/4 to 1/3 cup Raspberry Mousse into 6 to 8 goblets or parfait glasses (2 layers of each per glass), freezing each layer quickly to harden slightly before adding next layer. Freeze 4 to 8 hours or overnight.

Serve with Raspberry Sauce or favorite custard sauce or creme anglaise. Garnish with fresh raspberries and leaf-shaped chocolate if desired. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Variation: Turn alternate mixtures of chocolate and raspberry (or separately) into individual souffle dishes or terrine mold or loaf dish and freeze. Slice molds into bars or wedges and serve on pool of raspberry sauce or creme anglaise.

Raspberry Mousse

Raspberry Sauce

1 tablespoon or envelope unflavored gelatin

1/4 cup cold water

1 cup whipping cream

Heat 1/2 cup Raspberry Sauce in saucepan over medium heat. Soften gelatin in cold water. Add gelatin to hot sauce. Whisk into remaining Raspberry Sauce. Cool. Whip cream into soft peaks. Fold into sauce mixture.

Pour in individual souffle cups or use in parfait with chocolate mousse. Makes 4 cups.

Raspberry Sauce

2 (10-ounce) packages frozen sweetened raspberries

Puree raspberries and strain through fine sieve.

MIDNIGHT EXPRESS GRANITA

1 cup water

2/3 cup sugar

2 cups strong espresso (or 1/4 cup instant espresso powder mixed with 2 cups boiling water)

1 teaspoon vanilla

Whipped cream and roasted coffee bean, optional

Chopped Cinnamon-Walnut Praline, optional

Bring water to boil in medium saucepan. Add sugar and cook until sugar dissolves. Add espresso coffee. Pour into non-reactive loaf or square pan. Cool completely. Freeze until solid.

Turn onto cutting board. Chop into small granules or shavings. Return to pan and refreeze 2 to 3 hours. Scoop into chilled containers and garnish with whipped cream and coffee bean or chopped praline. Makes about 6 servings.

Cinnamon-Walnut Praline

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon butter

Melt sugar until golden in heavy skillet. Stir in walnuts, cinnamon and butter. Turn into greased pan. Cool. Chop to desired coarseness.

HAZELNUT GELATO

(From “Indulgences” cookbook by Lora Brody)

1 1/2 cups hazelnuts, toasted and skinned

1 cup milk

2 cups whipping cream

6 egg yolks

3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed

2 tablespoons Frangelico (hazelnut liqueur)

Frangelico-Flavored Whipped Cream

Place hazelnuts in food processor and process until they form oily paste. Scald milk and cream in medium size, heavy bottomed saucepan. Beat egg yolks with brown sugar until mixture is thick and light in color. Add Frangelico. Dribble in hot cream mixture and return to saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until mixture just coats spoon. Strain into bowl and chill.

Stir 1 cup ice cream base into hazelnut paste, then stir in remaining. Process in ice cream machine and serve semisoft with Frangelico-Flavored Whipped Cream. Makes 1 1/2 quarts.

Frangelico-Flavored Whipped Cream

1 cup chilled whipping cream

3 tablespoons Frangelico

2 teaspoons vanilla

3 tablespoons powdered sugar, sifted

Whip cream in chilled bowl with chilled beaters. When it holds soft peaks, stir in liqueur, vanilla and powdered sugar. Makes 1 1/3 cups.

MARLENE BROWN’S GRAPEFRUIT ICE CREAM

4 egg yolks

1 cup grapefruit juice

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 tablespoons grated grapefruit peel

3 eggs

3 cups half and half

1 cup whipping cream

Grapefruit zest slivers or segments, optional

Beat egg yolks 5 minutes or until thick and lemon-colored in medium bowl. Whisk together grapefruit juice, sugar, grapefruit peel and whole eggs until blended in large saucepan. Whisk in beaten egg yolks. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until mixture becomes very thick and begins to simmer. Remove from heat.

Whisk in half and half. Cover surface of mixture with wax paper or plastic wrap. Chill in refrigerator about 20 minutes or until cold. Beat whipping cream until thick. Stir into chilled grapefruit mixture. Freeze in ice cream maker according to directions. Garnish with grapefruit slivers or segments, if desired. Makes about 1 1/2 quarts.

Note: For freezer method, pour mixture into shallow baking pan. Cover tightly. Freeze several hours or until nearly firm. Break up frozen mixture with fork. Working with half of mixture at time, turn into blender or food processor fitted with metal blade. Process until fluffy. Immediately return beaten mixture back to pan. Cover and freeze until firm.

GINGER ICE CREAM

(From “The Gourmet Jewish Cookbook” by Judy Zeidler)

2 cups milk

2 cups whipping cream

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon ground ginger

8 egg yolks

1 (12-ounce) jar ginger preserves, drained and finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Crystallized ginger, chopped

Combine milk, whipping cream, 1/2 cup sugar and ground ginger in large heavy saucepan. Bring to boil over medium heat, stirring until sugar has dissolved.

Beat egg yolks in electric mixer. Gradually add remaining 1/2 cup sugar until very light and thick. Pour little of milk mixture into egg mixture to warm it. Then pour egg mixture through sieve or strainer and return to pot with milk mixture. Simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently with wooden spoon, until mixture is thick enough to coat spoon.

Transfer custard to large heat-proof bowl set inside larger bowl of ice cubes, mixing until cool. Blend in ginger preserves and vanilla. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator. Pour into canister of ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer’s directions. Or place in freezer and freezer until firm, 3 to 6 hours, stirring occasionally with fork to break up ice crystals. Garnish with crystallized ginger. Makes about 1 quart.

BASIL MICROWAVE

CUSTARD ICE CREAM

4 egg yolks

4 cups half and half

1/2 to 3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup finely minced basil or mint leaves

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon grated lemon zest

Hot Peaches

Stir egg yolks in bowl until smooth. Place 2 cups half and half and sugar in separate 2-quart microwaveable bowl. Microwave on HIGH 6 minutes until hot and steamy.

Stir about half of mixture into eggs and pour everything back into hot mixture. Microwave on MEDIUM HIGH (70%) 2 minutes or until thickened, stirring twice during cooking. Stir in basil. Cool.

Add vanilla, lemon juice, zest and remaining half and half. Pour into ice cream maker canister and freeze according to manufacturer’s directions. Scoop over Hot Peaches and garnish with basil or mint sprig. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Hot Peaches

2 cups halved or sliced peeled peaches

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon brandy, optional

Place peaches in microwaveable bowl. Sprinkle with brown sugar and butter. Cover and microwave on HIGH 2 minutes. Spoon in brandy. Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

MELON SORBETS

WITH TOMATO PUREE

(From “Fruit” by Amy Nathan)

1/2 cantaloupe

1/2 honeydew

Lime-flavored carbonated water

Tomato Puree

Savory sprigs and borage blossoms

Peel and seed melons. In blender or food processor, puree cantaloupe. Add carbonated water to make 2 cups liquid and blend briefly. Freeze in ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s directions until set to scooping consistency. Scoop and hold in freezer until ready to serve. Repeat procedure with honeydew.

Spoon pool of Tomato Puree onto individual serving plates. Place 1 scoop of each flavor sorbet on puree. Garnish with savory sprigs and borage blossoms. Serve immediately. Makes 4 servings.

Tomato Puree

12 Roma tomatoes, peeled and seeded

1 tablespoon Pernod liqueur

1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper

In blender or food processor combine tomatoes, Pernod and white pepper. Puree until smooth. Makes 2 cups.

Food Styling by Minnie Bernardino and Donna Deane