Ice cream? Gelato? What are your favorite frozen desserts?

Mike’s great report about his recent melon sorbet made me think about what the rest of the board likes for frozen desserts. Do you like frozen custard? How about the refreshing sorbet? Do you have a particular favorite flavor of ice cream? Or gelato?

No answers can be wrong, so please share.

Dave
I don't have a favourite as such, having enjoyed many gelati in Italy, the variety can be wonderful and as you'll often combine flavours, there's fun in getting a clever match. Oddly one I return to often is a simple Stracciatella, with quite basic flavours, but then basic flavours can be a great way to base a match.

Also our local ice-cream producer (Lakenham Creamery) about a mile from us has two very good flavours. One a coffee, which used to be good but not brilliant has stepped up a notch recently. The other is sweet spice and nutmeg which is such a good ice-cream match for many puddings.

Have been enjoying mint sorbet recently based on a soft drink I wrote about here a while back - it's slightly more herb-mint than confectionary mint and there's a slight accent of lemon which helps. So easy to make, just take the ice-cream maker tub out of the freezer, slot into the machine & switch on, then adding the drink. It takes about 20 mins, but no watching required.

Might try adding some raspberry juice next time.

regards

Ian

Daiquiris.

when i was a kid, my mother used to make a frozen dessert by digging out sections of orange and chopping up fresh pinapple - using as much juice as possible from each. she added some sugar and froze it. i still am very fond of this combo.

I'm not really a dessert person, but I do make a chocolate ice cream and a Sherry Cream Pie that are excellent. For store bought, I like Dryer's Chocolate Mint Chip, Vanilla Bean, Rocky Road, and most others I try. This is their slow churned, lower fat version.

My current favorite ice cream is the roasted cinnamon one I posted some time back. What I haven't been able to do yet is coordinate that with an apple crisp or peach crumble (or something along those line). I'll get there soon, though....

My current favorite ice cream is the roasted cinnamon one I posted some time back.

That sounds like a winner and I must try it soon. I don't own an ice cream maker. Is there a specific brand you would recommend?

Truth be told, I thoroughly enjoy ice creams of many flavors, semi-fredo and a great many sorbets but when push comes to shove my true favorite is a snow cone of freshly shaved ice served in a paper cup and poured over with a generous quantity of fruit syrup. Call me a peasant if you like and I'll accept that label with pleasure.

Best snow cones today are found either in Sorrento, Palermo, Naples, Forence, Little Italy in Manhattan, Montparnasse in Paris, Nice and, would you believe, in parts of Brooklyn Heights and Boro Park in Brooklyn.

Best
Rogov

Not much of a sorbet person (unless it's served as a palate cleanser)--I guess I prefer frozen creamy stuff to frozen fruity stuff for dessert.

The other night we went to a great mini-chain in Wellesley called Papa Razzi. Everything was wonderful, and I ate way more than I needed to. After dinner the other couple we were treating ordered "a scoop" of vanilla gelato, so to be sociable, Len ordered "a scoop" of cappucino flavor. What came were two very large sundae dishes packed full and overflowing with gelato, accompanied by two incredible almond macaroons. I made the mistake of having one little spoonful of Len's. That was it...we were fighting over the last bit of semi-melted gelato at the bottom of the huge dish. I guess gelato is my "uh oh" dessert. Once I start I can't stop...which reminds me now of my trip to Italy. I was there by myself so completely on my own schedule. On several occasions in the middle of the day, I would stop and have a gelato, then by the time I'd finish, I'd be walking by another gelato shop. In I'd go and order another and just keep on walking.

My final comment on this subject is that there are several types of dessert (fruit pie or cobbler for example) that I wouldn't even bother eating without a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Some rich chocolate cakes need it as well.

Fun question, Dave. Now, how about you?

Fun question, Dave. Now, how about you?

I love them all but would have to say frozen custard is my favorite. Last week I had a delicious version at the custard stand...Rum and Coke flavored! It was excellent but I probably should not have driven home afterwards.

Do you like frozen custard? How about the refreshing sorbet? Do you have a particular favorite flavor of ice cream? Or gelato?

Yes. Sadly, I love it all.

Oh, and I have a small Cuisinart ice cream maker that does a fine job. Paid something like $35 for it a few years ago (on sale).

[David M. Bueker]

Toasted almond ice cream from our local dairy. Or maybe pistachio from the same place. Of course the caramel cashew is good too. Can't forget the raspberry chocolate chip.

Another good one locally - Paravanni's (based near the village of Brooke, nr Norwich) do a tremendous Fragola - very much in the Italian style, hence the Italian name for Strawberry.

The toasted almond sounds good

Also some of the coconut ice-creams can be excellent, with that added textural quality

If nothing else, this thread inspired me into making something tonight

base: lemonade (mental note - pick a better one!)
flavour hot spots: alpine strawberries (little but pack a tasty punch)
counterbalance to sweetness of lemonade: a drop of Pimms (I could have used a bit more)
added bite: juice of 1/3 of a lemon

all into the ice-cream maker and a surprisingly good result despite the poor quality of the lemonade. It could have used a little mint I expect.

regards

Ian

Best snow cones today are found either in Sorrento, Palermo, Naples, Forence, Little Italy in Manhattan, Montparnasse in Paris, Nice and, would you believe, in parts of Brooklyn Heights and Boro Park in Brooklyn.

New Orleanians (those left) would argue with you.

Starbucks coffee ice cream and Hagan-Dazs apple sorbet/sherbet. I haven't seen either in a very long time. I can make coffee ice cream as good or better at home, but have not yet been able to duplicate the apple sorbet/sherbet.

Dave -

Sorry to be late in getting back to you (been out of town for a bit).

I don't know of a commercial cinnamon ice cream, although there have to be some out there. I think Cynthia has the best idea - pick up a Cuisinart ice cream maker!

Toasted almond ice cream from our local dairy.

I want to try that some time after getting hooked on the UConn dairy bar toasted almond amaretto (which is right up there for me in terms of ice cream flavours along with mint chocolate chip).

Other favourite frozen items of mine are mango kulfi when I'm in India, or a lemon ice from Mario's when I'm in Chicago.

We made a great Mango, Lime, and Cardamom sorbet in a class a few weeks ago. I kept a stash in the freezer and munched on it at work for a week after the class.

rwj

Starbuck's Java Chip or homemade sorbet. Starbuck's just switched ice cream suppliers and it is finally available again, even in this remote corner of the country.

Starbuck's Java Chip or homemade sorbet. Starbuck's just switched ice cream suppliers and it is finally available again, even in this remote corner of the country.

Hey Susan, welcome to the forum!

rwj

A local Italian restaurant (not a chain) makes a wonderful marsala gelato. I've gotten several folks hooked on those. The chef is from Italy, and all his food is wonderful!!

A local Italian restaurant (not a chain) makes a wonderful marsala gelato. I've gotten several folks hooked on those. The chef is from Italy, and all his food is wonderful!!

Linda
I figure that could be a very dangerous ice-cream - when they get the zabaglione ice-cream right it's wonderful, but so rich-tasting that guilt sets in awfully quickly.

Sounds like a restaurant to make your 'local'.

regards

Ian

Mike’s great report about his recent melon sorbet made me think about what the rest of the board likes for frozen desserts. Do you like frozen custard? How about the refreshing sorbet? Do you have a particular favorite flavor of ice cream? Or gelato?

No answers can be wrong, so please share.

Yes to the above.