In the days before cupcakes upstaged cakes, red velvet cake was different from what it is now. It used to be a cake with a great layer of cocoa powder adding depth of flavor beneath all that red dye, and the frosting was meant to complement the cake, not upstage it. Back then, my mom even frosted hers with a seven-minute icing, coated in coconut, instead of cream cheese frosting.

Nowadays, the cocoa has disappeared, and, thanks to cupcakes, it’s more about the inches of cream cheese frosting on top than anything else.

So, when I first saw that Ben & Jerry’s introduced Red Velvet Cake ice cream, I never questioned whether I would buy it. The pint just jumped into my shopping basket.

But the question was, which style of red velvet cake would it be? Unfortunately, the answer was the latter. In fact, the supersweet ice cream was more about the cream cheese frosting, which was presented with a cheesecake flavor. It also featured bits of a cocoa-free cake batter, but the cake wasn’t the focus.

Yet, even if this ice cream didn’t match my preferred style of red velvet cake, I was won over to it after just a couple of spoonfuls. And that means whenever I want red velvet cake, I’ll make Mom’s old-fashioned recipe. But if I want a quick hit, I’ll take Ben & Jerry’s ice cream version over a modern cupcake version any time.

The price was $3.50 a pint at H-E-B.

Lemon Ice Cream

Freezing condenses flavors, which is why ice cream has to be sweet, otherwise the flavors in it will be tight and bitter. Lettice Bryan knew that in 1839, when she wrote the following recipe for Lemon Ice Cream, which is included in Richard Sax’s exhaustive and recently updated “Classic Home Desserts: A Treasury of Heirloom and Contemporary Recipes” (Hosuton Mifflin, $35).

Lemon Ice Cream

Pare the yellow rind from three lemons, put it into a porcelain skillet, with the beaten yolks of eight eggs, a quart of rich sweet cream, and simmer it gently till the flavor of the lemons is extracted; then strain it into a bowl, and stir in it while warm three quarters of a pound of powdered loaf sugar. When it is cold, stir gradually into it the juice of the three decorticated lemons, and freeze it as directed. … As much of the sweetness is lost by the process of freezing, ice creams require more sugar than the common cold creams.

From Lettice Bryan, “The Kentucky Housewife,” 1839

What is powdered loaf sugar? It’s a finer ground version of loaf sugar, which is defined on WiseGeek.com as follows:

“Loaf sugar is sugar which comes in the form of a solid block, rather than as a granulated substance. Through the early 20th century, the bulk of the sugar on the market was in the form of loaf sugar, for a variety of reasons. Several sugar producers continue to make loaf sugar as a nostalgia item, and in the developing world, loaf sugar continues to be extremely common.

“To make loaf sugar, sugar producers pour hot sugar syrup into a mold which is in the shape of a cone or loaf. When the sugar cools, it can be wrapped and packaged for shipping and eventual sale. The advantage to loaf sugar is that it is easy to handle and ship, because blocks are much less difficult to handle than granulated sugar. Producers of loaf sugar also obviously do not need to worry about clumping.

“The disadvantage of loaf sugar for cooks is that it can be difficult to handle in the kitchen. Loaf sugar was often hung from the ceiling in the kitchen, although it could also be stored in cupboards. Historically, people used tools known as sugar nips to break chunks off their loaf sugar so that they could use it in cooking and baking. Because of the difficulty involved in obtaining precise measurements, loaf sugar was especially irritating for bakers. It also had to be thoroughly broken up so that it would not clump in baked goods and other foods.”

In other words, the sugar is meant to be dissolved into the ice cream mixture before freezing.

For a taste of some decidedly different ice creams in San Antonio, click here.

Chocolate-Hazelnut Ice Cream Sandwich

From the moment I cracked open a copy of Pam Anderson’s “Perfect One-Dish Dinners: All You Need for Easy Get-Togethers” (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $32), I started a list of ingredients I needed to pick up in order to make dish after dish. At the top of the list was her recipe for Chocolate-Hazelnut Ice Cream Sandwiches.

These go together quickly, largely because they are a mix of store-bought ingredients. Take a chocolate cookie, a pint of chocolate ice cream, Nutella and some roasted hazelnuts and you are all set.

That is, if you can find the ingredients.

Anderson recommends Nabisco Famous chocolate wafers, but the store didn’t have them. Instead, I bought a package of chocolate chocolate chip cookies from the bakery. I only had a little Nocciolata, a chocolate-hazelnut spread that I prefer to Nutella (it can be found at www.GauchoGourmet.com), enough to make one sandwich. Then I started to use peanut butter and jellies, especially raspberry and apricot. Toasted almonds, pine nuts and pecans work as well as hazelnuts, too.

In other words, make these sensational summer treats any way you like them. A lemon cookie with lemon curd and vanilla ice cream plus some candy sprinkles would definitely be welcome in 90-degree heat. So would a sugar cookie with strawberry ice cream and almonds on the side.

Just remember what Anderson says, “The cookie should not be too thick, too hard, or too brittle. Sandwiches can be double wrapped and frozen for up to 1 week.”

Chocolate-Hazelnut Ice Cream Sandwiches

1 cup chopped hazelnuts
1/3 cup chocolate-hazelnut spread (Nutella)
16 chocolate wafers, preferably Nabisco Famous
1 pint premium chocolate ice cream

Spread ice cream on the hazelnut-spread side of the cookie.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place nuts in a shallow baking pan large enough to hold them in a single layer; bake until fragrant and golden, 10 to 12  minutes. Cool to room temperature.

Meanwhile, smear a portion of hazelnut spread over one side of each wafer; set aside. Scoop 8 ice cream balls, a scant 3 tablespoons in size, and set on baking sheet in freezer until ready to assemble.

To assemble, set an ice cream ball on the hazelnut-spread side of each of 8 cookies; cap with remaining cookies, hazelnut-spread side down, and press to make a sandwich.

Roll sides of each ice cream sandwich in chopped hazelnuts. Double wrap in plastic and place in freezer until ready to serve.

Makes 8 servings.

From “Perfect One-Dish Dinners: All You Need for Easy Get-Togethers” by Pam Anderson.

Guavas

The large display of guavas in the supermarket had a heady aroma that filled the entire area. It was sweet and fruity, but there was also a floral note that was entrancing. I just started to grab the first ones I saw. But what was I going to do with them?

I have worked with guava paste in the past, in empanadas among other dishes. But I’ve never used the fresh fruit. So a little research was in order.

“There are a number of guavas in the world, but the common guava — the one most available here — resembles a pale smooth-skinned lemon,” says “Joy of Cooking.” That was the variety in the market, not the green ones with a pink interior that are commonly depicted. “Choose blemish-free fruits, as yellow and soft as you can find, and ripen them at room temperature, out of the sun, or in a closed paper bag. … Ripening time is unpredictable, so check daily and turn the fruits often. When they are ripe, refrigerate in a perforated plastic bag.”

From that point, things get both easier and more complex.”Guavas are simple to serve. Just trim off the blossom end, slice in half either way and eat with a spoon — the seeds of most guavas are edible. For fruit cups and salads, peel with a vegetable peeler and cut in slices,” according to “Joy,” which is largely indispensable in such matters.

Trouble is, the cookbook offered no recipes for guavas.

I did find three simple recipes in my favorite go-to guide for all things fruit, “A Passion for Fruit” by Lorenza De’Medici. They ran a gamut of styles, and I made all three in the course of the evening, just to get that aroma into the kitchen.

Guava Sautéed with Chives was a sweet-savory side dish. Guava Sauce with a lively hit of chili powder went perfectly with a pork chop for dinner. And dessert was a decadent Guava Ice Cream made with heavy cream.

All of the recipes talked about seeding the guava before using, and one website mentioned that there were often anywhere from 112 to 535 per fruit, but no one really said how to do it. I tried picking at a few with a knife tip, but that seemed to take away too much flesh with it. Juicing the fruit would probably work, but the recipes I had didn’t want juice. So, I simply left the seeds in. I do that with raspberries and blackberries. I don’t mind those seeds. I will say that the guava seeds are a little larger and slightly harder, so that really could be a problem for some.

The next day I went back for more. Now that I’ve started,  I can see more ways of using guavas, from salads to tarts. Or, as a friend suggested, you could swirl guava purée into an icy glass of horchata. How do you like to use them?

Guava Ice Cream

Guava not only adds flavor to this refreshing ice cream, it also perfumes it with its floral aroma.

Guava Ice Cream

6 guavas, peeled, seeded and diced
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons kirsch or raspberry liqueur

Purée the guavas in a blender. Heat the cream (do not let it boil) and dissolve the sugar in it. Allow it to cool, then stir it into the guava purée with the kirsh. Pour the mixture into an ice cream machine and follow the manufacturer’s instructions to freeze. If you do not have a machine, pour the mixture into a suitable container and put it into the freezer for at least 4 hours. After the first 30 minutes, take it out and whisk it to break up the ice crystals, then return to the freezer. Whisk twice more at half-hourly intervals, then leave the ice cream in the freezer to firm up.

Makes about 1 quart.

From “A Passion for Fruit” by Lorenza De’Medici

Q. So, what makes Mexican Chocolate Ice Cream Mexican?

— MDM

A. “Mexican chocolate … is rather granular, with a certain rustic quality – you can still taste the toasty cacao pods. It’s usually flavored with cinnamon, and often nutmeg or allspice, too.” David Tanis writes in “Heart of the Artichoke and Other Kitchen Journeys.”

Tanis also offers the following recipe. You can find Mexican chocolate along with other baking chocolates in most supermarkets in San Antonio.

Mexican Chocolate Ice Cream

3 cups whole milk
8 ounces Mexican chocolate
¾ cup sugar
½ teaspoon salt

Warm the milk in a medium saucepan. Grate the chocolate coarsely, then stir it into the warm milk. Add the sugar and salt and stir over low heat for about 5 minutes until everything is well dissolved. Let cool.

Churn the mixture in your ice cream maker for 15 to 20 minutes, then transfer to a container and freeze for at least 1 hour.

Makes 4-6 servings.

From “Heart of the Artichoke and Other Kitchen Journeys” by David Tanis

Tailor Papaya Cream recipe to ingredients you have on hand.

If you visit a Brazilian steakhouse or churrascaria, chances are you’ve seen the Papaya Cream that is generally offered for dessert. You may not have had it, however, since the thought of eating anything else after an array of 15 or so meats sounds odd, to say the least.

But give the Papaya Cream a try. Not only is the flavor both elegant in its silkiness and refreshing, it aids your digestion, says Jovani Gava, assistant general manager of Fogo de Chao , 849 E. Commerce St.

It’s a tradition in  southern Brazil, as prevalent as the churrascaria-style of serving meat and the extensive salad bar, he says.

It’s also simple to make. Merely toss in papaya and a top-quality vanilla ice cream in your blender. The proportion should be 60 percent fruit to 40 percent ice cream. Once you’ve poured the results into a serving glass, top it with a shot of crème de cassis, if desired.

Can’t get great papaya? Then substitute other fruit. Use peaches and crown it with a few slivered almonds and a drizzle of amaretto. Or use strawberries with Grand Marnier. A thawed bag of bing cherries will work with a little Godiva chocolate liqueur. Kiwi, pineapple, ripe pear, persimmon — all would work just fine.

Q. My pumpkin pie won’t set up. It’s a runny mess. What can I do?

J.W.

A. Don’t despair and don’t throw it away. If the pie is thoroughly cooked but it’s still a pool of pumpkin goo at the center, there’s one way to save your hard work: Pull out the blender.

Cut a slice or two of the pie, throw it in the blender, crust and all. Add vanilla or pumpkin ice cream and a little milk (not too much since the pie is already a liquid). In a few pulses, you’ll have a pumpkin pie milkshake with the crust adding a nice flavor.

You can also top this milkshake with whipped cream and you’ll have a whole new reason to be thankful.

I remember my mother using the same wooden spoons day in and day out in her baking or in general home cooking. They were all-purpose tools that she would use to stir the fruit for a pie filling or a beef stew. They would scrape bowls clean. They would withstand heat or cold. They were also used to measure ingredients, as she knew just how shortening or sugar much would fit at the end of the spoon.

I don’t know what wood those spoons were made from, but I do know they were indestructible. Mom still uses them decades later, preferring them to some of the silicone tools she’s been given in recent years.

Celebrated chef Thomas Keller seems to know the same secret. He recommends using a wooden spoon to stir up the custard for this decadent coffee ice cream.

Coffee Ice Cream

3 tablespoons coffee beans
2 cups whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided use
10 large egg yolks
Pinch of kosher salt

Using the bottom of a heavy pot or a rolling pin, lightly crush the coffee beans, splitting each one into 2 or 3 pieces. Pour the milk and cream into a large sauce pan, add the coffee beans and 1/2 cup of the sugar, and bring to just under a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar; a skin will form on top and the liquid should just begin to bubble. Remove the pan from the heat and let steep, uncovered for 1 hour.

Return the pan to the heat and heat until the milk is just below a simmer.

Meanwhile, whisk the remaining 6 tablespoons sugar and the yolks in a  bowl until slightly thickened and the whisk leaves a trail. Slowly, while whisking, add about 1/2 cup of the hot milk mixture to the yolks, then whisk in the remaining milk mixture. Set a fine-mesh basket strainer over a clean saucepan and strain the liquid into the pan; discard the coffee beans.

Prepare an ice bath in a large bowl. Set a medium bowl in the ice bath have a strainer ready.

Put the saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom and sides often with a wooden spoon, until steam begins to rise from the surface and the custard thickens enough to coat the spoon. Strain into the bowl, add the salt and let cool, stirring from time to time.

Refrigerate until cold or, preferably, overnight.

Pour the custard into an ice cream machine and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions. When the texture is “soft serve,” transfer to a storage container and freeze to harden. (The ice cream is best eaten within a day, but can be made several days ahead.)

Makes a generous 1 quart.

From “Ad Hoc at Home” by Thomas Keller

When I was growing up, my family would make ice cream the old-fashioned way, with me freezing my tail as I sat on the ice cream maker while my parents and sisters would take turns cranking the handle. The flavor was always the same: peach. It was— and is—my dad’s favorite. It’s become one of mine, too, as the years have past and I have gotten my hands on fresh peaches, especially those from Fredericksburg.

I now have an electric ice cream maker that spins up a quart in about 20 minutes. And Fresh Peach Ice Cream is a perfect treat. Gild the lily some and put a scoop of this on top of a peach-blackberry cobbler or a strawberry-peach pie.

Fresh Peach Ice Cream

2 cups peeled and finely chopped ripe peaches
1/2 cup sugar, divided use
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1 1/2 cups half-and-half
1 cup heavy cream, divided use
4 egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon vanilla or hazelnut extract

Place the peaches in a large, heavy saucepan, Add 1/4 cup of the sugar and the corn syrup and place over medium heat. Stir until the sugar melts and the peaches are heated through, about 4 minutes. Pour into a large bowl and set aside. Add the half-and-half and 1/2 cup of the cream to the same saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Remove from the heat.

In a metal bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and the remaining sugar until blended. Form a kitchen towel into a ring and place the bowl on top to prevent it from moving. Gradually pour the hot half-and-half mixture into the yolk mixture, whisking constantly. Return the mixture to the saucepan and place over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring slowly and continuously with a wooden spatula, until the custard thickens and leaves a path on the back of the spatula when a finger is drawn across it, about 5 minutes; do not allow to boil.

Pour the custard through a medium-mesh sieve into the peach mixture. Transfer three-fourths of the peach mixture to a food processor fitted with the metal blade or to a blender and purée until smooth. Pour the purée back into the remaining peach mixture. Add the vanilla and remaining 1/2 cup of cream and whisk to blend. Refrigerate until cold, about 1 hour.

Transfer the peach mixture to an ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer the ice cream to a container; cover and freeze until firm, at least 4 hours or for up to 3 days.

Makes about 5 cups.

From “Williams-Sonoma Kitchen Library: Ice Creams & Sorbets”