Frozen assets

During the lazy days of August, these desserts keep things cool

By Elinor Klivans | Special to The Sun

August 20, 2008

Expresso-and-Cream Granita is a luscious, layered treat. (Sun photo by Algerina Perna // Styled by Julie Rothman / July 29, 2008)

Frozen desserts may not have any appeal in January, but in the dog days of August, they are exactly what we crave.

In addition to keeping their cool, frozen desserts turn down the heat in the kitchen, and can be made well in advance. In fact, they have to be made at least hours, and often days, in advance. The base of these ice-cream desserts is store-bought ice cream -- that's a head start right there --and any other sauces or additions fall into the keep-it-simple category.

Granita is a simple and quickly made ice with a slushy, grainy consistency. It is made with sugar, water and either coffee, wine or fruit juice. The freezer, rather than a machine, is all that is needed to make this granita.

The granita mixture is chilled, then frozen to a slushy state. Stirring the mixture during the freezing process prevents it from becoming ice-block hard. Once the granita reaches the proper consistency, it is best if served at once. But, chunks of frozen granita can be stored for up to three days in the freezer and softened for about 15 minutes at room temperature to regain the desired soft consistency.

Granita is often served on its own, but this version layers espresso granita with whipped cream. It's like a frozen espresso sundae.

A banana split made with salted pecans and toffee sauce must be assembled at serving time, but the pecans and toffee sauce can be prepared ahead of time. The salted pecans can be cooled and sealed in a tightly covered container for up to a week. Toffee sauce can be cooled and refrigerated for up to a week, then heated over low heat to warm it.

Ice-cream flavor choices can be whatever is available and what suits your tastes. For banana splits, using three flavors of ice cream is traditional; the choices can vary.

Ice-cream cakes are let-yourimagination- run-wild desserts. Think about combinations that appeal to you, and feel free to mix and match both flavors and mix-ins. Start with an ice-cream flavor or two or three. Then add a sauce or crunchy addition that goes well. Pieces of brownies or chocolate-covered candies work well with ice-cream cakes. The Milk Chocolate Haystack Ice- Cream Loaf is layered with homemade milk-chocolate and toasted-coconut haystacks, and the Mint-Chocolate Chip Crunch Ice-Cream Cake is layered with a crunch made with crushed mint sandwich cookies mixed with chocolate coating.

A good-quality, rather than a premium, ice cream is the best choice to use. Premium ice creams are too rich for these over-the-top desserts. The new slow-churned ice creams work quite well and are a good way to save some calories.

When you're assembling an ice-cream cake, the ice cream should be just soft enough to scoop easily. If the ice cream needs softening, a good method is to put the ice cream in the refrigerator until it reaches the proper consistency. Depending on how hard the ice cream is, the process takes from 15 to 30 minutes.

If an ice-cream cake does not release easily from its pan, press a hot dish towel against the pan for 15 to 30 seconds. Any leftover ice cream cake can be wrapped in plastic wrap and returned to the freezer promptly before any melting occurs. Each of these icecream desserts has flavor suggestions, but feel free to mix and match your favorite combinations. To cut an ice-cream loaf or cake easily, let it sit for about five minutes at room temperature to soften slightly.

Salted Pecan Banana Splits with Warm Toffee Sauce

6 servings

For the salted pecans

1 cup pecan halves

1 tablespoon butter, melted

1/2 teaspoon salt

For the toffee sauce

1 1/3 cups heavy whipping cream

1 cup packed dark brown sugar