Better techniques make it easier to whip up frozen desserts

HYDE PARK, N.Y. -- Few would argue that delicious, homemade ice cream makes a perfect accompaniment to many traditional dessert favorites.

However, making ice cream at home when so many store-bought frozen desserts are available might seem hardly worth the time. Homemade desserts, especially frozen ones, often take a back seat to the more convenient, ready-to-eat options.

Fortunately, updated techniques can help you make quick and simple frozen desserts, in heart-healthy versions.

For example, there's the easy "dairy base," the universal base recipe for homemade ice creams, sauces and Bavarian creams. Each type of dairy base is linked by common ingredients, including milk or cream, egg yolks and sugar. One of the most traditional bases is custard sauce, also known as creme anglaise.

Besides their relatively quick preparation time, homemade dairy bases are appealing because they can be "lightened up" by using low-fat or nonfat dairy products.

Fat is a vehicle for flavor, and it contributes to the characteristic smoothness and denseness of the most delicious indulgences. However, the fat from dairy sources typically is responsible for the high caloric content of these desserts. So, when you are selecting ingredients for a dairy base, choose low-fat or nonfat yogurt and ricotta cheese; and use buttermilk, which is naturally low in fat, as a substitute for whole milk.

The addition of nuts, fruit preserves, or liquor or spirits can help bring out the flavor in reduced-fat dairy bases. However, the balance of sweetener must be carefully considered.

"There should be about eight total ounces of sweetener per quart of liquid for proper texture and freezability," says chef Peter Greweling, professor in baking and pastry arts at The Culinary Institute of America (CIA).

Because alcohol and sweeteners lower the freezing point, Greweling recommends first flaming off (reducing by heat in a pan) half the alcohol in a liquor or spirit before adding it to the dairy base. This helps to achieve a more intense flavor from the spirit or liquor, he explains.

"For nut pastes and preserves, choose unsweetened or minimally sweetened varieties," he adds.

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The preparation of component parts -- the glace (French term for ice cream) and the raspberry purée -- for the following recipe for warm strawberries with hazelnut liqueur-flavored glace and shortcake can be done in minutes. Gather all necessary equipment before starting; and remember to take into account the time needed to freeze the glace.

The recipe is among more than 350 featured in "The Professional Chef's Techniques of Healthy Cooking" (Wiley, 2001), from The Culinary Institute of America.

Warm Strawberries with Hazelnut Liqueur- Flavored Glace and Shortcake

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Scant 1/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 cup cold butter, diced

1/2 cup skim milk

1/4 teaspoon grated orange zest

Vegetable oil spray as needed

1/8 cup whole milk

2/3 cup ruby port

8 cups strawberries, quartered (36 ounces)

2/3 cup raspberry purée (see note)

2 cups hazelnut liqueur-flavored glace

Combine the flour, sugar and baking powder in a large bowl. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients to form a mealy mixture. Make a well in the butter mixture and add the skim milk and orange zest. Slowly incorporate, being careful not to overmix.

On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough to 1/2-inch thickness. Use a round 2-inch biscuit cutter to cut the dough into ten 1-ounce portions. Lightly spray a sheet pan with vegetable oil and place the shortcakes on the pan. Brush the tops of the shortcakes with whole milk and bake in a 375 F oven for 15 to 20 minutes. Keep warm until needed.

Heat the port in a small saucepan. Stir in the strawberries and raspberry purée. Keep warm until needed.

For each serving: Slice a warm biscuit in half and fill with 4 ounces of the warm strawberry mixture. Top with a 1 1/2-ounce scoop of glace and serve immediately.

Makes 10 servings.

Nutrition information per serving: 270 cal., 6 g pro., 40 g carbo., 7 g fat, 20 mg chol., 240 mg sodium.

Note: If raspberry purée is not available in the frozen-food section of your grocery store, prepare the needed amount by placing 1 and 1/3 cups of frozen raspberries and 2 tablespoons of water in a small saucepan over low heat. Heat gently while slowly adding 1/4 cup of sugar, to taste. Cover and simmer for 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Purée in a food processor or blender, and strain using a fine strainer or cheesecloth.

Hazelnut Liqueur- Flavored Glace

1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese

1/2 cup nonfat yogurt

1/2 cup maple syrup

1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract

3 tablespoons hazelnut liqueur

Purée the ricotta in a food processor or blender until very smooth. Add the remaining ingredients and process until incorporated. Add liqueur and pulse until incorporated. Freeze in an ice-cream machine according to manufacturer's instructions. Serve the same day it is frozen.

Makes 2 cups (ten 1 1/2-ounce servings).

Variations: If desired, the glace can be flavored with other ingredients, including fresh fruit or specialty coffees such as cappuccino, instead of the liqueur.

For Fresh Berry Glace: Eliminate the hazelnut liqueur. Using a rubber spatula, fold 2/3 cup berries into 2 cups of glace, after it has been processed in the ice-cream machine and before placing it in the freezer. The fruit may be whole, quartered or sliced.

For Cappuccino Glace: Eliminate the hazelnut liqueur. Simmer 1/3 cup evaporated skim milk, 1/8 cup of whole French-roast coffee beans and 1 cinnamon stick for 30 minutes. Strain the milk and cool completely. Reduce the nonfat yogurt to 1/4 cup and add the flavored milk mixture to the ricotta mixture when processing. Continue as directed in the recipe.

Recipe from "The Professional Chef's Techniques of Healthy Cooking," Wiley, 2001, available from the CIA's online store at: www.ciaprochef.com (click on Training Materials on home page).