Ice Cream Desserts: A Celebration of Favorite Ice Cream Concoctions

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"Ice cream is a frozen dessert usually made from dairy products, such as milk and cream, and often combined with fruits or other ingredients and flavours. Most varieties contain sugar, although some are made with other sweeteners. In some cases, artificial flavourings and colourings are used in addition to (or in replacement of) the natural ingredients. This mixture is stirred slowly while cooling to prevent large ice crystals from forming; the result is a smoothly textured ice cream.

The meaning of the term ice cream varies from one country to another. Terms like frozen custard, frozen yogurt, sorbet, gelato and others are used to distinguish different varieties and styles." ~ Wikipedia

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What Is An Ice Cream Cake?

An ice cream cake can either be ice cream in the shape of a cake or . . . cake and ice cream layered together, then decorated as a single cake.

As you can see above, you can decorate an ice cream cake with ice cream and whipped cream or fruits or or nuts or chocolate fudge sauce or any combination!

[For more information on the history of ice cream cakes click here.]

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Ice cream cones are thin, sometimes brittle cone-shaped pastries, allowing ice cream, and other creamy frozen desserts (e.g. frozen yogurt) to be eaten without a bowl or spoon. There are various types of ice-cream cones: wafer cones, waffle cones, sugar cones

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Although there are many variations of banana splits . . . a "classic" banana split is made as follows:

A banana is "split" in half lengthwise and laid in long dish called a "boat." One scoop each of vanilla, chocolate and strawberry ice cream is placed in a row between the split banana. Pineapple topping is spooned over the strawberry ice cream, chocolate syrup over the vanilla, and strawberry topping over the chocolate . . . and overall there is a garnish of crushed nuts, whipped cream, and maraschino cherries.

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A classic ice cream sundae typically consists of a scoop of ice cream topped with sauce or syrup, and in some cases other toppings including chopped nuts, sprinkles, whipped cream, or maraschino cherries.

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Ice cream sandwiches are frozen desserts composed of a layer of ice cream (of any variety) "sandwiched" between two wafers of pastry, cookies or slices of cake.

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What Is Baked Alaska?

This truly unique ice cream dessert . . . is composed of a layer of cake (usually sponge or chiffon cake) and a layer of ice cream which is covered completely in meringue (whipped egg whites). The entire dessert is then placed into a hot oven** for brief time (until the meringue is firmed and slightly browned). Because the meringue acts as an insulator, it does a good job of preventing the heat from reaching the ice cream core.

It is said that the term "Baked Alaska" was first coined at Delmonico's Restaurant (New York City) in 1876 to honor the recently acquired American territory. However the history of this dessert (which is also called glace au four, omelette à la norvégienne, Norwegian omelette and omelette surprise) reaches back much further in time.

** Note: In some recipes, a chef's propane torch is used to brown the meringue instead of putting the dessert into the oven.

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What Is Fried Ice Cream?

Fried ice cream is a dessert . . . commonly made by taking a scoop of "well-frozen" ice cream, and then coating it in one of two ways (depending upon the cuisine), which is then briefly deep fried. The low temperature of the ice cream prevents it from melting during cooking.

Coatings

Asian cuisine: coating the frozen scoop of ice cream in tempura batter before deep frying. The most common ice cream flavors in Asian restaurants are red bean, green tea and/or vanilla.

Tex-Mex cuisine: coating the frozen scoop of ice cream in beaten raw egg and then rolling it in cookie crumbs or crushed corn flakes; deep frying and garnished with cinnamon, sugar or honey. It is said that this version was first credited to Casa Gallardo Mexican Restaurants in St. Louis (circa 1975).

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