The latest scoop

Everyone has a tub of ice cream or similar product in the freezer during the summer. If you ever tire of simply eating it out of a bowl or in a cone, today I offer three recipes to scoop, sandwich or whirl it into a classic, more dressed-up summer treat.

One is an ice cream sundae. My version sees the ice cream richly topped with homemade chocolate syrup, which is easy to make. The sundae then gets decadently adorned with local summer berries, which are ripe, juicy and available right now. Most sundaes have some type of nut on them and I chose pecans, which go nicely with chocolate. For added colour, I garnished each sundae with a mint sprig, and for even more richness, if desired, you could pipe or dollop a little whipped cream on this divine creation.

I love ice cream sandwiches and have gotten into the habit of making them at home after whipping up a batch of cookies. That recently occurred when I made chocolate chip cookies. They were slightly dome-topped and tender, making them a good candidate for freezing.

Before doing so I, of course, sandwich two cookies together with ice cream, which could be chocolate, vanilla or any other flavour you think will work with chocolate chip cookies. Once made, I set the sandwiches in the freezer to firm up the ice cream again, before individually wrapping them and keeping them frozen until ready to devour.

My last ice cream treat is for adults only: a margarita shake. It's a cool and creamy version of the famous cocktail that will make a fun drink on a hot summer day. To make it, lime sherbet is blended with milk, tequila and orange liqueur into a creamy green creation garnished with lime.

If you've ever wondered what the difference is between sherbet and ice cream, according to the New Food Lover's Companion, sherbet commonly refers to a frozen mixture of sweetened fruit juice or other liquid and water. It can also contain milk, egg whites and/or gelatin. Sherbet is lighter than ice cream but richer than sorbet, which does not contain milk. Of course, if you add tequila and orange liqueur to the sherbet, you might not notice the difference.

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Chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwiches. (DARREN STONE / POSTMEDIA NEWS ARCHIVES)

Summer berry chocolate sundaes

This divine summer treat features ice cream, in-season berries, nuts and homemade chocolate syrup.

For the chocolate syrup:

125 ml (1/2 cup) cocoa powder

60 ml (1/4 cup) granulated sugar

60 ml (1/4 cup) golden brown sugar

250 ml (1 cup) water

5 ml (1 tsp) pure vanilla extract

Place cocoa, sugars, water and vanilla in a small pot and whisk to combine. Bring to a simmer, and whisk and simmer a minute or two until the cocoa and sugars are completely dissolved into the water. (The longer you simmer the mixture, the thicker it will become.) Cool syrup to room temperature. Transfer to a squeeze bottle or serving vessel. Refrigerate until needed.

For the sundae:

8 to 12 scoops vanilla, chocolate or strawberry ice cream

375 ml (1 1/2 cups) fresh berries, such as blueberries, raspberries, tayberries, blackberries, and/or sliced strawberries

80 ml (1/3 cup) pecan halves

Whipped cream to taste (optional)

4 mint sprigs

Set 2 to 3 scoops of ice cream in each of 4 chilled decorative glasses or serving vessels.

Drizzle or spoon chocolate syrup, to taste, over the ice cream. (Any leftover syrup can be saved for another time.) Divide and top sundaes with berries and pecans. Pipe or dollop some whipped cream on each sundae, if using. Garnish each sundae with a mint sprig and serve.

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: A few minutes

Makes: 4 servings

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(DARREN STONE / POSTMEDIA NEWS ARCHIVES)

Chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwiches

Chocolate-chip-flecked cookies sandwiched with ice cream equals: Yummy!

310 ml 11/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 ml (1/2 tsp) baking soda

310 ml (1 1/4 cups) semi-sweet chocolate chips

125 ml (1/2 cup) butter, at room temperature

180 ml (3/4 cup) packed golden brown sugar

5 ml (1 tsp) pure vanilla extract

2 large eggs

10 to 12 scoops of chocolate, vanilla or other ice cream, softened at room temperature a few minutes.

Place an oven rack in the middle position. Preheat the oven to 325 F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.

Place the flour and baking soda in a bowl and whisk to combine. Stir in the chocolate chips. In another bowl, beat the butter, sugar and vanilla until well combined and lightened. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Add the flour mixture and mix until just combined.

Drop 2 tbsp amounts of the dough on the baking sheets, spacing them about 3 inches apart. (You should get 20 to 24 cookies, depending on how evenly sized your pieces of cookie dough were.) Bake the cookies, one sheet at a time, for 15 minutes, until light golden and cooked through. Cool cookies to room temperature.

To make ice cream sandwiches, set a cookie on a work surface, smooth side up. Set a scoop of ice cream on that cookie. Set another cookie on top of the ice cream, smooth side down. Gently press cookies together to form a sandwich. Place ice cream sandwiches on a baking sheet and set in the freezer. Repeat with remaining cookies and ice cream. When the ice cream has become completely frozen again, individually wrap each ice cream sandwich and keep frozen until needed.

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes (15 minutes per cookie sheet)

Makes: 10 to 12 ice cream sandwiches

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Someone order an ice-cream sandwich? (POSTMEDIA TIMES COLONIST)

Margarita shakes

Cool, thick and creamy versions of the famous cocktail. Will make a fun adult drink on hot summer day.

500 ml (2 cups) lime sherbet

180 ml (3/4 cup) milk

2 oz. tequila

1/2 oz. orange liqueur, such as Grand Marnier or triple sec

2 to 3 fresh mint sprigs

2 to 3 lime slices or wedges

Place the sherbet, milk, tequila and orange liqueur in a blender. Pulse until smooth. (Add a bit more milk if you find the shake too thick, and more sherbet if it's not thick enough.) Divide and pour mixture into chilled glasses. Garnish each shake with a lime slice or wedge and a mint sprig and serve.

Preparation time: A few minutes

Cooking time: None

Makes: 2 (about 350 ml /12 oz.) servings, or 3 (about 250 ml/8 oz.) servings

Eric Akis is the author of the bestselling Everyone Can Cook series of cookbooks.

-- Postmedia News

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition August 8, 2012 C1