THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 23, 1995 TAG: 9507250455
SECTION: FLAVOR PAGE: F1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: By BETTY DOUGLASS, SPECIAL TO FLAVOR
LENGTH: Short : 49 lines
OUTDOORS, the heat is on. But indoors, our ovens are off.
Who feels like cooking when temperatures and humidity soar? ``Dinners'' become sandwiches, cools soups and salads.
As for dessert, we're inclined to do little more than scoop out the ice cream or fat-free frozen yogurt. Baking is not a favorite summer pastime.
But that doesn't mean dessert has to be dull. Ice-cold desserts can be as refreshing to make as they are to eat.
I still remember the original ``icebox,'' and iceman who delivered large frozen chunks to cool those insulated storage chests every few days.
I remember, too, delicious icebox desserts, homemade and served by Mom, Grandmom or even and aunt, on special occasions.
Such desserts relied on everyday ingredients like fresh, canned or frozen fruits; leftover cookies and cakes (used whole, cut in pieces or crumbled); marshmallows; chocolate syrup; sweetened condensed milk; whipping cream; sour cream; and ice cream.
The various ingredients were layered in shallow pans or molds, to form pleasing combinations of tastes, and then refrigerated to let the flavors meld and the shapes ``set.''
Served cold or frozen, they were the perfect hot-weather confections.
Following are several of my mother's recipes, which I've filed in a loose-leaf notebook. She always thought a meal needed a fitting end; in this treasured book desserts are filed first.
To find other nostalgic recipes, look in family cookbooks and in books featuring heirloom recipe collections. MEMO: Betty Douglass is a free-lance food writer and home economist in
Portsmouth. All recipes in this article have been kitchen-tested by the
author. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
VICKI CRONIS
Ladyfingers form the base of Pineapple-Apricot Ice Box Pudding,
which is a smooth hit with the family or the bridge club.
by CNB