Hardly anyone we know. So we headed to the store to stock up on our favorite flavors, then went back to the kitchen to do a little experimenting with ice cream-based desserts.
Tortilla Sundae with Minted Mango Salsa
One winner we came up with was a tortilla sundae with a mango-strawberry-apple "salsa." The base is a corn tortilla fried in oil and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. The sweet tortilla shells can be fried the day before serving, as long as they are wrapped in foil or stored in a tin. Keeping color in mind, you can substitute other fruits in the salsa (apricots and cantaloupe are too one-tone, but the combination of watermelon and peaches is spot-on). And don't leave out the crisp Granny Smith apple for color and textural contrast. Mint perfectly complements the fruit, but if you're adventurous, other herbs work, too--basil or even cilantro, for example.
Frozen Tiramisu
Love tiramisu but don't have time to make it? My ice cream version rivals the real thing and can be prepared in under half an hour, no pastry skills required--not a bad return on a dessert that serves up to 14 people.
If you think your supermarket doesn't carry mascarpone cheese, look again. Just because you've never seen it doesn't mean it's not there. If you really can't find it, no worries. You can make the sauce with cream cheese; just follow the conversion method in the introduction to the recipe. If you have little espresso cups collecting dust in the china cabinet, bring them out. Fill them with the coffee-mascarpone sauce, then sprinkle with grated chocolate. Let your guests pour the sauce over their desserts.
Frozen S'mores
Happy campers of all ages will love Frozen S'mores. (Ice cream stands in for the marshmallows used in the original campfire treat.) Take time to freeze this dessert after spreading the chocolate sauce on the first and second layers of graham crackers. If you don't, you'll lose those sharp, clean lines. The recipe calls for vanilla and chocolate ice cream, but try any flavor that complements the graham crackers and chocolate.
Copyright 2004 USA Weekend and columnist Pam Anderson. All rights reserved.
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