Frozen Desserts

What kid doesn't love rainbow sherbet? I know I loved it, but as an adult, I have found the store-bought frozen treat to be much too sweet and artificial. So I've skipped the ice cream aisle and picked up everything for my own homemade mango sherbet instead.

Sherbet is usually thought of as somewhere between ice cream and sorbet. Unlike ice cream, sherbet doesn't have eggs, and unlike sorbet, sherbet does have milk. Sherbet has a creamier texture like ice cream but doesn't take nearly as long to make since you skip making the custard.

Be sure to use ripe mangoes for better texture; to make it even smoother, strain the mango puree before you blend it. This light, tangy, and fruity mango sherbet is the perfect way to end a festive soiree — for both kids and adults alike. If you are ready to try your hand at a simple mango sherbet, keep reading for the recipe.

When it comes to frosty yet fleeting ice cream, there is no way to go wrong. Opt for the simplistic and pure nature of a plain vanilla, or churn up a fresh and flavorful alternative with one of the many ideas below. From coffee to mint chip, here are a few more favorites to try.

Cherimoya Lime Sorbet	Buttermilk Ice Cream	Olive Oil Pine Nut Ice Cream
Coffee Ice Cream	Strawberry Ice Cream	Mint Chip Ice Cream

There are certain things in this world that are a natural match made in heaven; the pairing of peanut butter and chocolate is one of those combinations in my book. Everyone's seen this in ice cream, but I decided that it's time for a peanut butter pop dipped in some choc!

I used all-natural peanut butter since I had it on hand, but a traditional store-bought peanut butter like Skippy or Jif would make a better base, as the flavor is more intense. Since these little guys are exceptionally rich, keeping these popsicles on the miniature side is key (if you don't have small popsicle molds, use tiny paper cups or shot glasses instead). The chocolate shell needs to be cool to room temperature to ensure you don't melt the popsicles while dipping. Once dipped, however, the popsicles are ready to eat; alternatively, store them in the freezer until you're ready to serve them.

If you, too, are a peanut butter-and-chocolate fiend, bust out your popsicle sticks and get to freezing these easy chocolate and peanut butter packed popsicles. Read ahead for the recipe.

This month, skip baking a key lime pie for these key lime pie popsicles. Trust me: not only will your house be cooler, but these ice pops are just as delicious as a piece of pie. This particular recipe is relatively easy; all you do is stir everything in a bowl and get your molds ready to freeze. I made mine extra-zesty, but feel free to alter the amount of lime juice and rind to suit your taste. Once your pops have frozen solid, give them a quick dip in crumbled graham crackers to complete the pie flavor. Enjoy each bite of these crunchy and creamy pops by reading more for the recipe.

Over a recent dinner party dessert of assorted gelatos, a burning (or shall I say freezing?) question arose. If the word "gelato" isn't simply Italian for ice cream, then what exactly is the difference between the two frozen desserts?

The answer, in short, is air — and fat. During the churning process, ice cream's volume is increased by more than half. In contrast, gelato is churned at a slower speed, which means not as much air is whipped into the mixture; this helps gelato achieve a consistency that's so dense, it requires a warmer serving temperature than its counterpart.

Ice cream also contains more fat than gelato. By USDA standards, ice cream must contain a minimum of 10 percent milk fat, although most brands contain somewhere between 14 and 17 percent. Gelato, which often has almost no cream at all, contains roughly 3 to 10 percent fat. Less cream and air means the Italian dessert tastes decadent and more intensely flavored without as much fat. Which frozen dessert's consistency do you prefer?

Even though it's a key component in everything from fried chicken to biscuits, buttermilk has never made the cut as a regular item in my larder. I'll buy it when it's called for in specific recipes, but often wind up with a half-used carton in the refrigerator that sits until it's tossed out. When I had an almost full carton left over from making homemade ranch dressing, I was determined to put the rest of it to good use. A quick online search led me to a recipe for lemon-buttermilk ice cream.
I've never much cared for the sour, goopy taste of buttermilk, but in this sorbet, I absolutely love it. Buttermilk's thickness adds the right amount of heft; its milk content makes for a frozen dessert that's got the smoothness of sorbet, but the translucence of ice milk. Flecks of lemon zest guarantee a clean finish that also makes this sorbet ideal as a palate cleanser during or after meals. I've been eating it every night. Truth be told, my stash is starting to run low. It might be time to stock the icebox with more buttermilk. For the easy recipe, read ahead.

Today, word spread that ice cream chain Baskin-Robbins is retiring five of its flavors, among them Campfire S'mores, Apple Pie a La Mode, Caramel Praline Cheesecake, and Superfudge Truffle. But the most surprising news of all? The company also plans to retire French Vanilla, a longtime hit and one of its original 31 flavors created in 1945.

Not only has French Vanilla been a core flavor for the past 65 years, but vanilla is the most popular ice cream variety in America by a wide margin. Does the discontinuation of French Vanilla suggest fewer consumers have an appetite for the flavor?

In recent frozen dessert encounters, I've spotted vanilla bean ice cream much more frequently than its flaxen yellow French counterpart, which is strained to be free of flavorful vanilla bean seeds and made heavier and creamier with egg custard. What do you think: Will other ice cream companies follow suit? Does French vanilla ice cream seem like a dated flavor to you?

Source: Flickr User cowbite

There are a few bright spots in every Winter, namely the following, in no particular order: snow sports, the Super Bowl, hot cocktails, and Girl Scout cookie season. But sadly, my attempts to track down cookies this year have been in vain, as I haven't seen so much as a single Daisy, Brownie, or Junior anywhere in the Bay Area.

To remedy the situation, I took matters into my own hands with a homemade variation of the Caramel DeLite, or Samoa, the Girl Scout cookie to end all other Girl Scout cookies.

This version, if I must say, is even better than the original. It starts out with a tartlet base of brown sugar, chocolate, butter, and toasted coconut, then gets the royal treatment with a scoop of coconut ice cream, dulce de leche, and more toasted coconut. The only drawback? They'll be gone in seconds. For the recipe, keep reading.