The Ices Age

The seasons aren't divided into four neat segments for city kids. Grass does not start growing through the concrete sidewalks at the vernal equinox and no birds sing. More often than not, winter slides into midsummer with hardly a pause. But we didn't need a harbinger or, for that matter, a calendar to know when spring arrived. It was the day the ices man showed up with his rickety cart and his lemon, orange and cherry water ice. Little did we know, as we greedily sucked the last drops from the folds of the paper cup, that gourmets considered this frozen mixture of sugar, fruit juice and water a big culinary deal; "the consummation of all that is delicate and good," in the words of Escoffier himself.

Our romance with ices and sherbets goes back a way, spanning continents and centuries. One account credits their development to the Chinese, who presumably passed the information along to the Turks, Arabs and Persians. The peace offering given Richard the Lion-hearted in the Third Crusade was charbet (sherbet) made of snow from Mount Hermon. Ices were served to rally flagging appetites between courses of long-playing baronial banquets, as minstrels and buffoons entertained the indefatigable fressers. The custom of serving an ice between the fish and the roast, to "renew" the palate, is still observed at formal dinners.

The rage for frozen refreshments reached its zenith around the turn of the century at the incredibly lavish Victorian and Edwardian banquets. Great chefs vied with one another in the creation of elaborate frozen fantasies. Most elegant of the genre was the bombe, a molded affair formed in contrasting layers of flavor, texture and color. If you're wondering about the menacing name, the original bombes were made in hinged spherical molds, with small indentations at the top. After unmolding, a wick saturated with brandy was popped into the indentation and set aflame. What else could they be called?

In keeping with contemporary tastes, iced confections are lighter and more delicate today. The simplest and purest are the granitas. They're coarser and grainier than standard water ices, because they're not stirred during the freezing period. Stirring breaks the crystals down and makes for a smoother product. Sherbets are smoother still, since they contain milk or egg whites or gelatin, all of which retard crystal formation.

Ices have a versatility too often neglected. They're just the thing, of course, after a sumptuous dinner. And they're pleasant casual refreshments any time. Sidewalk-café habitués in Paris and Rome would just as soon pass the time over an ice as over an aperitif or a demitasse of coffee. Crème de menthe granita is a pleasant surprise served with barbecued lamb, and Burgundy ice complements pork or duck. You might try a fresh-tomato-and-clam-juice ice, piled into tomato cups, as a luncheon appetizer, a mound of avocado sherbet with lemon sole or a pale crescent of honeydew melon topped with crystalline lime ice to kick off a leisurely brunch. Wines and spirits are nice with ice, as an ingredient or a last-minute garnish: Bourbon mates with espresso, benedictine with peach, framboise with raspberry or pineapple, white port with cherry, cassis with strawberry or lemon, cognac with cantaloupe, Cointreau with orange or apricot.

There's no trick to making ices at home. If you have a freezer and a good recipe, you're almost there. Most icecream machines will make water ices and sherbets. In fact, machines give creamier texture and a more consistent product. There's at least one, Salton, that works inside your freezer, eliminating the need to pack it with rock salt and ice.

Freezing time varies. Depending on the mixture and the efficiency of your box, it may require anywhere from two to six hours. Alcohol and extra sugar slow the process down; a shallow tray freezes more rapidly. Your freezer should be set at its coldest and, for best results, the mixture should be chilled before freezing.

Iced delights may be served in dessert saucers, coupes, small goblets or stemmed glasses, and in fruit shells--orange, lemon, melon, avocado, grapefruit and other natural cups. André Soltner, chef and proprietor of New York's Lutéce restaurant, presents his superlative melon sherbet in a frosted saucer champagne glass. He moistens the rim with lemon juice, then swirls it in sugar. After spooning the sherbet into the chilled glass, Soltner adds a garnish of diced fresh melon or candied violets. Delicious!

[recipe_title]Frozen Gimlet[/recipe_title]

(About 3-1/2 cups)

[drinkRecipe]1-3/4 to 2 cups sugar[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]2 cups water[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Strip lime peel, green part only[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]3/4 cup fresh lime juice[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1/4 cup Rose's sweetened lime juice[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1/2 cup gin[/drinkRecipe]

Garnish: slice lemon, lime and orange

Bring sugar, water and lime peel to boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Remove from heat; cool, then discard lime peel. Stir in remaining ingredients. Pour into ice trays and place in freezer. Stir thoroughly every half hour or so until firm. Garnish each portion with a quarter slice of lemon, lime and orange.

Note: Sugar may be adjusted up or down, depending on your taste and the acidity of the lime juice.

[recipe_title]Raspberry Frost[/recipe_title]

(About 2 cups)

[drinkRecipe]10-oz. package frozen raspberries, unthawed[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]2 ozs. framboise or raspberry cordial (or 1 oz. each)[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Optional garnish: fresh strawberries and sec (sweet) champagne[/drinkRecipe]

Cut block of frozen raspberries in half. Put half the spirit and half the raspberries in chilled blender. Blend until smooth. Sieve the purée into chilled bowl (sieving removes the seeds). Repeat with remaining ingredients and combine with first batch. Transfer to ice trays and freeze, stirring occasionally. Shortly before serving, prepare garnish. Rinse and hull strawberries, then halve. Steep them in champagne. When ready to serve, scoop ice into saucer champagne glasses. Rim with halved berries and spoon a bit of the marinade over the ice. Decorate with mint leaf.

Note: This mixture freezes rather quickly. If you catch it at the right stage, semifirm, it doesn't require stirring.

[recipe_title]Burgundy Ice[/recipe_title]

(About 3 cups)

[drinkRecipe]1/2 cup sugar[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]3/4 cup water[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 in. stick cinnamon[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]2 or 3 whole allspice[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1/2 teaspoon grated orange rind[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1-3/4 cups Burgundy or Beaujolais[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]2 tablespoons orange juice[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1-1/2 tablespoons orange liqueur[/drinkRecipe]

Combine first five ingredients in saucepan. Bring to boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Simmer 5 minutes without stirring. Strain into bowl and let cool. Combine wine, orange juice and liqueur and chill. When spiced sugar syrup is cool, stir well with wine mixture and pour into ice tray or shallow metal pan. Place in freezer; stir well about every half hour until proper consistency.

Note: This is not a sweet ice! It's a fine companion to duck, hot or cold, to ham or roast fresh pork. For use as a dessert, increase sugar and water by 1/4 cup each, reduce wine by 1/4 cup.

[recipe_title]Apricots Amaretto[/recipe_title]

(About 3 cups)

[drinkRecipe]8-oz. can apricot halves[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]8 large marshmallows[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]2 tablespoons sugar[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1/4 teaspoon grated lemon rind[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1/4 cup orange juice[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1/4 cup Amaretto liqueur[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]2 tablespoons honey[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1/4 teaspoon almond extract[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 cup light cream[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Chopped toasted almonds or macaroon crumbs[/drinkRecipe]

Drain apricots and save syrup. Combine marshmallows, sugar, lemon rind and 1/2 cup apricot syrup in saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring until marshmallows are melted. Cool. Place drained apricots in blender and blend until puréed. Add purée, orange juice, Amaretto, honey and almond extract to syrup mixture. Chill, then stir in cream. Freeze in ice-cream machine, following manufacturer's directions, or pour into ice trays and place in freezer. When outer edge of sherbet is frozen but center is still slushy, transfer to chilled bowl and beat until smooth. Return to trays and freeze until firm but not hard. Sprinkle each portion with chopped toasted almonds or macaroon crumbs.

The following is a nectareous glace inspired by the alluring persimmon (continued on page 143) The Ices Age (continued from page 108) sherbet served at the Four Seasons restaurant in Manhattan. Its quality depends on really ripe fruit. Persimmons are deceptive: They're at their peak when they start to look wilted and overripe.

[recipe_title]Persimmon Lucullus[/recipe_title]

(About 3 cups)

[drinkRecipe]1 cup sugar[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1-1/2 cups water[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 cup persimmon purée (2 mediumsize persimmons)[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1/2 cup yoghurt[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1-1/2 ozs. lemon juice[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 oz. kirsch[/drinkRecipe]

Combine sugar and water and bring to boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Boil 4 or 5 minutes without stirring until reduced to 1-1/2 cups. While syrup cools, prepare purée. Carefully remove the astringent persimmon skin and seeds, retaining as much of the juice as possible. Place pulp and juice in blender and purée. Measure 1 cup persimmon purée. Put yoghurt in bowl and slowly stir in purée, mixing well, so that there are no lumps. Add cooled syrup, lemon juice and kirsch. Chill in refrigerator 1 hour. Freeze in ice-cream machine or freezer, as in Apricots Amaretto.

The Four Seasons serves its persimmon sherbet with a small wedge of lemon and gaufrettes.

[recipe_title]Cranberry Glacier[/recipe_title]

(About 3 cups)

[drinkRecipe]1-1b. can cranberry sauce[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]3/4 cup water[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1/4 cup triple sec or cranberry cordial[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 tablespoon lemon juice[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 tablespoon superfine sugar, or to taste[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 teaspoon grated orange rind[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Pinch salt[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Optional garnish: chopped candied orange peel[/drinkRecipe]

Blend all ingredients in blender until smooth. Freeze in ice-cream machine, following manufacturer's directions, or pour into ice trays and set in freezer. Stir thoroughly every half hour or so until firm. Garnish with chopped candied orange peel if you like.

Note: For a more intense cranberry flavor, substitute cranberry-juice cocktail for part or all of the water.

Escoffier was partial to lemon as an ice ingredient and recommended that every mixture contain some. Here's a basic lemon ice, with several interesting spin-offs.

[recipe_title]The Lemon Tree[/recipe_title]

(About 3 cups)

[drinkRecipe]1 cup superfine sugar[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]2 cups water[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 cup fresh lemon juice[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 teaspoon grated lemon rind[/drinkRecipe]

Combine all ingredients and stir until sugar is completely dissolved. Chill in refrigerator for a couple of hours. Pour into ice trays and place in freezer. Stir every half hour or so until firm.

Lemon Mint Ice: Add 1/4 cup crème de menthe to the recipe and proceed as above.

Spicy Lemon Ice: Add 1/4 cup kümmel, Strega, benedictine or Galliano to the recipe and proceed as above.

Granita di Limone: Do not stir ice while in freezer. The taste remains the same, but the texture is coarser.

Lemon High: Prepare basic lemon ice. Splash a bit of curaçao, cassis or another fruit liqueur over each portion when serving.

This makes a soft, loose ice, technically a frappe. It's a one-two-three operation, ready to serve immediately. Read the directions before starting; get things together; chill what needs chilling, etc.

[recipe_title]Quick Frappe Mandarine[/recipe_title]

(About 4 cups)

[drinkRecipe]6-oz. can frozen tangerine concentrate[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]3 cups very finely crushed ice[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 egg white[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]3 tablespoons superfine sugar, or to taste[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]2 tablespoons mandarine liqueur[/drinkRecipe]

Combine all ingredients and put half in a chilled blender and blend at high speed until mixture is almost snowy. You may have to stop blender once or twice to stir down mixture with rubber spatula. Empty contents into chilled ice tray and hold in freezer. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Combine with first batch. Spoon into chilled sherbet glasses and serve at once. If there's any left over, transfer to a plastic container and store in freezer.

[recipe_title]Honey Do[/recipe_title]

(About 2 cups)

[drinkRecipe]2 cups honeydew-melon purée[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]3 tablespoons sugar, or to taste[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]2 tablespoons lime juice[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 oz. lime cordial[/drinkRecipe]

Use ripe honeydew. Halve and seed. Scoop out and blend enough melon meat to make 2 cups purée. Add sugar, lime juice and lime cordial to purée in blender and blend a few seconds until well mixed. Chill 1 hour; pour into ice trays and freeze, stirring thoroughly every half hour. For smoother consistency, break up when firm, transfer to chilled bowl and beat with electric mixer until slushy. Start at low speed, then shift to high. Freeze until firm but not hard.

[recipe_title]Granita Di Caffé[/recipe_title]

(About 4 cups)

[drinkRecipe]3 cups espresso or double-strength coffee[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 cup water[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]3/4 cup sugar[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Cinnamon stick[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Strip lemon peel, yellow part only[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1/2 cup coffee or coffee-mint liqueur[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 cup heavy cream[/drinkRecipe]

Prepare coffee in advance and chill. Place water, sugar, cinnamon stick and lemon peel in pan and cook, stirring to dissolve sugar. Boil 5 minutes without stirring. Remove cinnamon stick and lemon peel. Combine syrup with coffee and cool, then chill in refrigerator. Pour into ice trays and freeze. If you want this smoother, stir as for ices. If mixture is too hard, break up into chunks and blend quickly in blender.

Combine liqueur and cream in pitcher and serve with granita, so guests can help themselves.

If you haven't the time or the interest to start from scratch, you can still make nifty iced desserts, using a commercial product.

[recipe_title]Candied Lemon Ice, Forum[/recipe_title]

(Delightful surprise served at New York's Forum of the Twelve Caesars)

[drinkRecipe]6 tablespoons mixed candied fruits[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]6 large lemons[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 pint lemon ice or sherbet, slightly softened[/drinkRecipe]

Finely dice candied fruits and set aside. Decapitate lemons, slicing off stem ends about 1/3 in. down. Remove pulp, keeping shells intact. Clean out remaining membrane. Quickly and thoroughly mix candied fruits with ice and spoon into prepared shells. Replace caps and fix with toothpick. Place in freezer until firm but not hard. When serving, place a mint leaf on the toothpick and strew leaves around the lemon.

[recipe_title]Cups of Orange[/recipe_title]

[drinkRecipe]1 pint orange sherbet[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]3 oranges[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 oz. Puerto Rican rum[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1/2 oz. banana cordial[/drinkRecipe]

Leave sherbet at room temperature to soften slightly. Halve oranges. Remove flesh in segments, using tip of grapefruit spoon. Clean out inside of shells and hold in refrigerator. Marinate orange segments in rum and banana cordial. When sherbet is just workable, stir in 2 to 3 tablespoons liquid from orange marinade. Pile into shells and mound. Place in freezer until just firm. Garnish each portion with a few pieces of marinated orange and an orange leaf, if available.

[recipe_title]Roman Flag[/recipe_title]

(Serves four to six)

[drinkRecipe]1 pint lemon ice or sherbet[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Crème de menthe[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Cherry cordial[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Red and green maraschino cherries[/drinkRecipe]

Scoop or slice (if package is oblong) ice into 4 to 6 portions. Spoon a bit of crème de menthe down one side of each portion, cherry cordial down the other, keeping the lines as straight as you can. The middle section should be clean. Put 1 red and 1 green maraschino cherry on the end of a toothpick. Plant the other end in ice, like a flag.

Consistency and texture make quite a difference in the taste. You want your ices or sherbets firm but not hard; the serving spoon should penetrate without undue pressure. If necessary, transfer your ice to the refrigerator an hour or so before serving or let it stand at room temperature until ready. One final detail: Be sure the serving dish or glass is well chilled before filling, to present your oeuvre at its best.