Whether piled into a cone, frozen on a stick, sandwiched between cookies, or scooped onto a slice of pie, no summer dessert serves up childhood memories quite like ice cream. From easy to expert, we’ve gathered recipes from chefs at some of the finest resorts in the U.S. Some call for ice cream makers, one a deep-fryer, and two turn simple store-bought ice cream into a company-worthy dessert. Enjoy!

 

Reds banana split

 

  1. Red’s Caramelized Banana Split, Red’s at Sea Crest Beach Hotel, North Falmouth, Mass.

 

Store-bought ice cream lets the homemade toppings shine in this classic kids’ favorite, from a classic summer destination.

Ingredients:

  • 1 banana
  • 3 T sugar in the raw
  • Vanilla ice cream
  • Chocolate ice cream
  • Strawberry ice cream
  • 5-6 large strawberries
  • 1 cup diced pineapple
  • 2 cups chocolate chips
  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • ½ cup powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract

 

Preparation:

Make the whipped cream: add heavy cream, half of the powdered sugar, and the vanilla extract, and whip in a kitchen mixer until stiff peaks form.

Dice strawberries and coat with remaining powdered sugar; mix well and set aside.

Heat a heavy gauge pan until it is very hot, add diced pineapple and stir until golden brown and caramelized on all sides. (Note: The natural sugars in the pineapple will caramelize, so no additional sugar is needed.)

Melt the chocolate over a double boiler and set aside. (Note: for an optional garnish, take half of the melted chocolate and insert into a pastry bag with fine tip; pipe a design or wording of your choice onto a piece of wax paper and refrigerate for 10-15 minutes until set.)

Split the unpeeled banana down the middle to create two even halves. Leave in the peel and sprinkle with the sugar in the raw. Brûlée the sugar with a kitchen torch until golden brown. (Do not touch the sugar as it will be extremely hot!) Let cool for a minute or two.

Plating:

Remove peel from the caramelized banana, place in a bowl, and top with one scoop of each ice cream flavor. Drizzle melted chocolate over the chocolate ice cream, strawberries over the strawberry ice cream, and caramelized pineapple over the vanilla. Top with whipped cream, optional chocolate garnish, and serve.

 

b&w jar

  1. Black & White Jar, McCoy’s Oceanfront at the Ft. Lauderdale Marriott Pompano Beach Resort & Spa, Fla.

 

In summertime, the livin’ is easy and entertaining should be, too. The sophisticated look of this cool, tall glass of dessert means dinner guests will never know how simple it was to pull off.

Ingredients:

  • Chocolate mousse (store-bought is fine)
  • Vanilla bean ice cream
  • Chocolate pearls
  • Cherries or another fruit for garnish

 

Preparation:

Layer chocolate mousse and vanilla ice cream in a rocks glass or, if you prefer, a sundae bowl. Garnish with a scattering of chocolate pearls and top with a cherry or the berry of your choice.

 

 caramelized peach

  1. Caramelized Peach & Buttermilk Ice Cream, Pastry Chef Ana Garza, elements at Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain, Scottsdale, Ariz.

 

Fresh-from-the-orchard flavor makes this a must-try for any summer chef.

Ingredients:

For peach compote:

  • 4 peaches
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 T vanilla extract

 

For buttermilk ice cream:

  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • ½ cup sugar
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 2 T honey
  • 6 egg yolks
  • 1 vanilla bean
  • 1-1/2 cup buttermilk

 

Preparation:

Peach compote: Blanch peaches by dropping into boiling water for 1 to 2 minutes; use a slotted spoon to transfer peaches to an ice bath to stop cooking. Remove skin as soon as it is cool enough to touch. Chop fruit.  Heat brown sugar in a saucepan; once it starts to melt, add peaches, salt and vanilla extract. Cook 10-12 minutes until mixture starts to bubble and peaches are soft. Set aside.

Buttermilk ice cream: Add heavy cream, sugar and salt to a saucepan, heat until it reaches a simmer, and remove from heat. Beat egg yolks and temper with hot cream, whisking the entire time. Return mixture to saucepan and cook over low heat until temperature reaches 170˚ F and the mixture coats the back of a spoon. Strain through a chinois; add honey, vanilla bean and buttermilk. Refrigerate until cold, 4 to 5 hours. Pour buttermilk mixture into ice cream maker and process according to directions. Fold in peach compote and serve.

 

fried ice cream

  1. Crispy Fried Ice Cream, The Newes from America pub at Kelley House, Edgartown, Mass.

 

A scoop of breakfast-inspired brilliance: Homemade vanilla ice cream wrapped in French toast, rolled in cereal, and deep fried to crispy perfection.

 

Ingredients:

For vanilla ice cream:

  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 1 cup milk
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
  • 6 egg yolks
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract

For crust:

  • 2 slices Texas toast
  • 1 cup French toast batter
  • 1 cup Honey Bunches of Oats cereal, crushed

 

Preparation:

In a saucepan, combine heavy cream, ½ cup sugar, milk, salt and vanilla bean. Heat until very hot but not boiling. Remove from heat, cover and let sit for 30 minutes to infuse cream mixture with vanilla flavor.

In a bowl, whisk egg yolks and the rest of the sugar until smooth; return saucepan with cream mixture to the stove and bring to a simmer.

Temper egg/sugar mixture by streaming in ½ cup of the hot cream mixture, whisking constantly. Slowly stream the tempered egg/sugar mixture back into the rest of the cream mixture over medium heat, stirring gently and scraping the bottom until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spatula and to leave a clear trail when you run your finger through it. Pour the mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a container for chilling. Set the container into an ice-water bath and stir with spatula until cool.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Stir in vanilla extract; pour into ice cream maker and process according to directions. Don’t overmix.

Using a size 12 disher (ice cream scoop), form four ice cream balls, place on a sheet tray and freeze. Cut a piece of Texas toast in half and flatten it with a rolling pin. Place an ice cream ball on top of the bread, mold the bread into a ball around the ice cream. Repeat process with the remaining three ice cream balls, using ½ piece of Texas toast for each. Wrap and freeze for 1 hour. When they are hard enough to manipulate, dip each ball into French toast batter and coat with crushed cereal mix. Deep fry until golden brown for 2 minutes. Garnish if desired (a few options: a dusting of confectioner’s sugar, whipped cream, chocolate sauce) and serve.

 

orange creamsicle

  1. Orange Creamsicle Ice Cream, Palm Beach Marriott Singer Island Beach Resort & Spa, Fla.

 

Inspired by the ice cream truck classic, this citrus sensation offers nostalgia by the scoop.

Ingredients:

  • 1 qt. heavy cream
  • 6 oz. egg yolks (approx. 9-10)
  • 10 oz. sugar
  • 6 oz. cream cheese, softened
  • 2 tsp. orange oil

 

Preparation:

Bring heavy cream and half of the sugar to a boil. Temper the egg yolks and other half of the sugar into the hot liquid. Cook to 178 degrees. Strain and pour over cream cheese, stirring until fully melted. Add in orange oil.

Cool mixture over an ice bath and pour into ice cream maker; process according to directions until slight firm. Let freeze for 24 hours before scooping.

rhubarb mint

  1. Rhubarb Mint Ice Cream, Executive Chef David Haick, Whiteface Lodge, Lake Placid, New York

 

Tart rhubarb and cool mint are an ideal flavor combination for a hot summer day.

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups rhubarb puree
  • 1 liter heavy cream
  • 14 fresh egg yolks
  • 2 cups sugar
  • ½ cup fresh mint

 

Preparation:

  1. Heat heavy cream to 180 degrees. Add mint leaves and steep 10 minutes. Strain through chinois.
  2. Combine yolks and sugar and mix until ribbon stage. Add warm cream. Bring to a thick consistency, or 185 degrees.
  3. Add rhubarb puree and combine well. Pour into an ice cream maker and process according to directions.
  4. Serve with fresh fruit.