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Scooping
Presentation is everything, and ice cream lends itself beautifully to myriad presentations. I like to use a spade instead of scoop. The look is homier to me somehow. But there are wonderful scoops on the market, and the best have quick release levers and come in a lot of different sizes. Melon ballers in assorted shapes and sizes make great mini-scoops. To get perfect scoops, allow really hard ice cream to temper in the refrigerator for about 15 to 20 minutes before scooping. Dip the scoop in warm water between each scoop, just as the soda jerks did in days gone by.

The Virtues Of Vanilla
Thousands of different flavors for ice cream from old hat to de rigueur tempt the home creamer. A good friend of mine swears roasted garlic ice cream is phenomenal. I plan to just take her word on this one. I even tucked away a recipe for fresh corn ice cream.

I have read more than one recipe for lavender, rosemary and basil ice creams. Obviously for some, anything goes with ice cream. That said - I say, stick to vanilla. Vanilla is always perfect; it goes with everything, or anything you have on hand. Because flavors are always more intense when layered as opposed to incorporated, I prefer plain vanilla on a pool of pureed fruit or piled high with hot fudge. If you think plain vanilla is just too plain, endless add-ins and add-ons can instantly change vanilla into the flavor of your dreams. After you have made this never-fail and always-classic vanilla ice cream recipe a couple of times, you'll have it memorized. You can embellish the vanilla according to the dictates of the menu, palate or pantry.

Add Ins
You can mix anything you fancy into ice cream during the last eight minutes of freezing including any of the following: diced fresh peaches, chopped toasted nuts, shaved coconut, chopped dates, Vanilla wafers, orange marmalade, candied grapefruit rind, pitted fresh cherries, cracked pink peppercorns (this makes a fabulous ice cream to go with fresh peaches).

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