Ice cream is the best of desserts any time of year, but it really hits the spot on a warm and balmy summer evening.
Cool and creamy, it's both decadent and nostalgic, whether it's piled high on an ice cream cone or — my favorite way — scooped into a crispy waffle bowl and drenched with spoonful after spoonful of homemade hot fudge.
When I was a kid, my siblings and I spent many nights churning ice cream in a hand-cranked ice cream maker. (Whew — but, eventually, so worth it!) Today's plug-in versions are much easier on the hands and shoulders, with an electric motor doing all the grunt work by rotating the metal canister that holds the ice cream base in a slurry of ice and salt. If you keep the canister at the ready in the freezer, and have heavy cream and eggs in the refrigerator, you can have fresh ice cream in less than an hour in any flavor your heart desires. It's that easy.
