Premium ice creams stand out in pale dessert category

Attending the 2008 National Restaurant Association food show provided me a glimpse at culinary trends and products on the horizon. Organic products, an emphasis on healthy offerings and dazzling technology emerged as the highlights of this year's show.

Yet there were plenty of lowlights. With a few exceptions, the prepared desserts left my taste buds disappointed with overly sweet, lackluster flavors.

So much of what is offered to restaurateurs for ready-to-serve desserts remains old-school.

Skyscraper-high cakes, overinflated muffins and baked-to-outrageous-proportion cookies provide convenience for service, sure, but on the flip side, these sweet treats contain spoonfuls of sugar per serving, overpowering any real cream in the whipped toppings.

All this confirmed my opinion that when it comes to commercially prepared desserts, few products compare to specialty ice creams. They may seem pricey at first glance, especially considering the pint-size packaging. Yet there's much to love.

Like high-end chocolates, high-quality ingredients hold the key to specialty ice creams. The sensational flavors available give us a chance to use our culinary creativity to make a refreshing summer treat that's easy to put together. We can mix and match flavors to customize desserts for special events or holiday gatherings.

With 4th of July festivities this weekend, I set out to create a patriotic dessert that draws on the unique flavor combinations of specialty ice creams.

The challenge here lies in capturing red, white and blue hues into a dramatic, yet authentic culinary representation. Forget those worn out flag cakes. How about an ice cream pie with a bold attitude?

Before piephobia sets in, let me stress that this dessert comes together in a flash. Start with either your favorite graham crumb crust or select a ready-made variety. Stay away from chocolate or heavily spiced crusts as the base needs to remain flavor neutral. Freezing the crust before spreading the softened ice cream into the shell prevents cracking or breaking.

The bottom layer begins with strawberry ice cream. Choose your favorite variety that offers great berry flavor and deep color punch.

For the top layer, choose a vanilla-based ice cream with minimal stir-ins. I like vanilla bean, white chocolate, or, when I want to be more adventurous, butter pecan. Use a small ice cream scoop to evenly distribute the softened ice cream.

To contrast the sweet and creamy layers, blueberry sauce provides a natural deep blue color and bold flavor. Store the blueberry sauce separately and gently warm before pouring over each plated slice.

Easily offering 10 portions, this colorful and rich pie is an economical treat. The flavor is rich, bold and worth the cost of specialty ice cream.

Annie Overboe, a Culinary Institute of America graduate, lives in Villa Park. Send questions to Baking Secrets, Daily Herald Food section, P.O. Box 280, Arlington Heights, IL 60006, or food@dailyherald.com. Questions will not be responded to personally.

Red, White and Blue Ice Cream Pie

1 graham cracker or shortbread crust (9-inches)

1 pint specialty strawberry ice cream

1 pint specialty vanilla, white chocolate or butter pecan ice cream

Blueberry sauce

1/3 cup sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

cup water

2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

Place crust in freezer for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, allow 1 pint strawberry ice cream to soften at room temperature for 20 minutes. Remove crust from freezer and scoop strawberry ice cream evenly into crust. Using back of spoon, gently press to level ice cream layer. Cover surface of ice cream with plastic wrap and smooth gently with hand. Keep plastic wrap on ice cream, cover with plastic top or additional plastic wrap. Freeze 2 hours until firm.

Remove vanilla ice cream from freezer and soften at room temperature for 20 minutes. Evenly scoop over strawberry ice cream layer. Working quickly, use back of spoon to gently press vanilla ice cream into even layer. Create swirl design on top. Cover and freeze at least 2 hours or overnight.

For the sauce: In medium saucepan, stir together sugar and cornstarch. Add water and stir until combined. Add blueberries and cook over medium heat until thick and bubbly. Pour sauce into heat proof bowl and cool 30 minutes at room temperature. Garnish individual plated pie slices with warm sauce. Store remaining sauce one week in the refrigerator.

Serves 10.

Baker's hint: Blackberries can be substituted for the blueberries.

@Recipe nutrition:Nutrition values per serving: 270 calories, 12 g fat (5 g saturated fat), 40 g carbohydrates, 1 g fiber, 3 g protein, 24 mg cholesterol, 184 mg sodium.