A Passion for Ice Cream: 95 Recipes for Fabulous Desserts    by Emily Luchetti Order:  USA  Can Chronicle, 2006 (2006) Hardcover Read an Excerpt      Reviewed by Hilary Williamson We acquired a good ice cream maker last summer and enjoyed fresh-made ice creams (including a wonderful raspberry made from berries picked in the woods) all the hot days of July and August. It was so good that I wanted to explore new recipes. Just in time, along came A Passion for Ice Cream - Sheri Giblin's fabulous photos will entice you to start freezing and baking, while Emily Luchetti's recipes reveal how to make these scrumptious concoctions. The Introduction opens: 'Imagine the dreariness of a world without ice cream.' Emily Luchetti extols the 'intense fresh taste and creamy texture' of homemade ice cream. Hear, hear! She describes types of ice cream (Philadelphia and French styles) and explains all the variations on frozen desserts from Sorbets and Granita to Semifreddos and Gelato. She also profiles, through the cookbook, seven 'favorite artisanal ice cream shops' in the U.S.. A Getting Started section covers ingredients and equipment. Next come tips on making frozen desserts, from cooking custard bases to swirling ingredients, eating homemade ice cream within three days, and tempering it before serving. The 95 recipes are presented in six chapters: Simply Presented, With Your Fingers, Through a Straw, In a Mold, On a Plate, and Adornments (a range of sauces, tuile cups and garnishes). I'd happily try any of them, but a few made me salivate more than the rest. How about Cherries jubilee with butter crunch ice cream? The Chocolate-covered-pretzel ice cream ball fondue sounds like lots of work but also tons of fun to eat. Pineapple-dark rum granita with ginger beer sabayon and raspberries would impress guests and delight me, as would Gingersnap lemon ice cream sandwiches or Mini meringue baskets filled with pomegranate sorbet. My teen son makes vanilla ice cream from scratch for his summer iced cappuchinos - I plan to try to interest him in making some of the frozen concoctions here, such as Cold Italian hot chocolate with orange-cadamom ice cream or Papaya milk shakes (yumm!) Two that both look and (I'm sure) taste delicious are Frozen marjolaine with almond meringue and mexican chocolate ice cream and Chocolate and caramel ice cream cake. I've always loved Baked Alaska, and there are individual Chocolate Banana Baked Alaskas here. The Gingerbread with apple ice cream and calvados caramel sauce also grabbed my mental taste buds. If you're ready to move on from the very simple vanilla, chocolate or berry homemade ice creams, then get hold of a copy of A Passion for Ice Cream - though these recipes take a little (to a lot) more effort than the basic ones, it will be rewarded by the reactions of friends and family, and may satisfy your own craving for delicious frozen desserts on the steaming summer days ahead. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more NonFiction books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews