A Frozen Dessert Table
Cooking Skills: Ice Cream 2
Chapter 8 · A Frozen Dessert Table
Skill goal
Plan, make ahead and serve four contrasting frozen desserts, and start your own set of house recipes.
Shopping list for this chapter
The basics
A frozen dessert table is the Ice Cream 2 capstone: four desserts for guests that you plan, make ahead and serve with ease. It builds on the party-planning ideas in Cooking Skills: Ice Cream 1, chapter 8, but each dessert is more ambitious, so the plan matters more. The big advantage is that almost everything is made days ahead, and the last hour is only slicing, scooping and pouring.
The method
- Choose contrasts: something icy, something creamy, something sliced and something crunchy, in different flavours.
- Work backwards from serving time and write the plan down.
- Make hot-sugar jobs early, when you are calm and no guests are in the kitchen.
- Soften one dessert at a time, serve it and return it to the freezer.
- Label everything, with allergens, so guests can choose safely.
| Dessert | Style | Make ahead | Last-minute job |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gelato or sorbet | Creamy or icy | 1 to 3 days | Soften 10 minutes, scoop |
| Granita | Light, icy | The day before, or that morning | Scrape with a fork |
| Semifreddo or ice cream cake | Sliced | 1 to 2 days | Slice with a hot knife |
| Sauces and brittle | Topping | 1 day | Warm the sauce gently |
| Cones, cups and tuiles | Crunchy | That morning | Fill at the last moment |
Freezer, allergens and serving
Freezer space and temperature: a table of four frozen desserts needs room. Clear space in the freezer a day ahead, keep it at -18°C or colder, and don't pack it so full that air can't circulate. Take desserts out one at a time, and put the rest back at once. Don't refreeze anything that has melted (see Cooking Skills: Ice Cream 1, chapter 7).Allergen cards: put a small card by every dessert listing what is in it (milk, egg, nuts, wheat, soy, sesame, gluten from malt). Ask your guests about allergies before you plan, and keep one dessert (such as a granita or sorbet) free of milk, egg and nuts.
Serving safely: use a clean spoon and scoop for each dessert, wash hands before handling food, and don't leave frozen desserts out for more than about 20 minutes at a party. Throw away melted dessert that has stood for a long time.
Try it
Level 1 · Start here
A two-dessert table
Start small: one creamy dessert and one icy one, with a sauce. Gelato and granita contrast well, since one is rich and smooth and the other sharp and light, and the coulis ties them together.
Ingredients (8 portions)
- 1 batch fior di latte gelato (Gelato, chapter 1)
- 1 batch raspberry coulis (Sauces, Brittle and Toppings, chapter 5)
- 1 batch lemon granita (Granita and Shaved Ice, chapter 2)
- 8 small chilled glasses or bowls
- Make the gelato and granita 1 to 3 days ahead and the coulis the day before. Keep them in the freezer or fridge, covered and labelled.
- On the day, chill the glasses for 10 minutes in the freezer. Stand the gelato out of the freezer for 10 minutes to soften while you scrape the granita with a fork.
- Serve one scoop of gelato and a spoonful of granita in each glass, with the coulis in a jug.
Freezer, allergens and serving
Freezer space and temperature: a table of four frozen desserts needs room. Clear space in the freezer a day ahead, keep it at -18°C or colder, and don't pack it so full that air can't circulate. Take desserts out one at a time, and put the rest back at once. Don't refreeze anything that has melted (see Cooking Skills: Ice Cream 1, chapter 7).Allergen cards: put a small card by every dessert listing what is in it (milk, egg, nuts, wheat, soy, sesame, gluten from malt). Ask your guests about allergies before you plan, and keep one dessert (such as a granita or sorbet) free of milk, egg and nuts.
Serving safely: use a clean spoon and scoop for each dessert, wash hands before handling food, and don't leave frozen desserts out for more than about 20 minutes at a party. Throw away melted dessert that has stood for a long time.
Level 2 · Table
A four-dessert frozen table
Four desserts that contrast: something icy, something creamy, something sliced and something crunchy. Choose different flavours (one fruity, one chocolatey, one plain, one nutty or caramel) so there is no repeat, and a different texture for each.
Ingredients (10 portions)
- 1 batch gelato or granita (a choice from chapters 1 and 2)
- 1 batch semifreddo (Semifreddo and Frozen Mousses, chapter 3)
- 1 batch an ice cream cake or frozen cheesecake (Ice Cream Cakes and Frozen Bakes, chapter 4)
- 1 batch hot fudge or butterscotch sauce and brittle (chapter 5)
- 1 batch tuile cups or waffle cones (chapter 6)
- Choose four desserts from the course, one from each style: icy (granita), creamy (gelato), sliced (semifreddo or cake) and crunchy (cones, brittle or wafers). Write them on the plan.
- Make everything frozen at least a day ahead, following the plan in the diagram. Make the sauces and brittle the day before and bake the cones that morning.
- An hour before serving, set out the labels, the chilled glasses, the sauces (warmed) and the toppings. Take out one dessert at a time, soften it for 10 minutes, then slice or scoop and serve.
Freezer, hot sauces and allergens
Freezer space and temperature: a table of four frozen desserts needs room. Clear space in the freezer a day ahead, keep it at -18°C or colder, and don't pack it so full that air can't circulate. Take desserts out one at a time, and put the rest back at once. Don't refreeze anything that has melted (see Cooking Skills: Ice Cream 1, chapter 7).Hot things at the table: keep hot sauces in a jug with a lid, away from the edge and children, and warm them only just before serving. Hot caramel and wafers are not for children to handle (see chapters 5 and 6 of this course).
Allergen cards: put a small card by every dessert listing what is in it (milk, egg, nuts, wheat, soy, sesame, gluten from malt). Ask your guests about allergies before you plan, and keep one dessert (such as a granita or sorbet) free of milk, egg and nuts.
Level 2 · Plan
Your make-ahead plan
A written plan is the key skill of a frozen table. Work backwards from the time you serve and give every job a day and an hour, keeping the hot-sugar jobs early.
Ingredients (10 portions)
- 1 large sheet of paper or a notes page
- 1 pen
- 1 calendar or phone timer
- Write the time you will serve on the right of the page and the desserts down the left side.
- For each dessert, write when it must be made, how long it needs to freeze, and when it comes out to soften. Put granita and gelato first and hot sugar early.
- Add the last jobs: chilling glasses, warming sauces, setting out labels. Check the freezer has room and tick each job off as you do it.
Planning, hot sugar and freezer space
Plan on paper: write the timeline down with days and times, and tick each job off. Running late with frozen desserts only means a wait; running late with hot sugar, however, means rushing near something dangerous. Do the hot sugar jobs a day early.Freezer space and temperature: a table of four frozen desserts needs room. Clear space in the freezer a day ahead, keep it at -18°C or colder, and don't pack it so full that air can't circulate. Take desserts out one at a time, and put the rest back at once. Don't refreeze anything that has melted (see Cooking Skills: Ice Cream 1, chapter 7).
Hot things at the table: keep hot sauces in a jug with a lid, away from the edge and children, and warm them only just before serving. Hot caramel and wafers are not for children to handle (see chapters 5 and 6 of this course).
Level 3 · House recipe
Your flavour notebook and house recipe
Choose the base you liked best, change one thing and write down the result. Your flavour notebook turns these two courses into a set of house recipes that are yours: a base, a flavour, a topping and a note.
Ingredients (4 portions)
- 1 notebook for your flavour notes
- 1 batch a base recipe from this course that you like best
- 1 one new flavour, topping or sauce to try
- Pick the base you liked best (for example fior di latte, lemon granita or vanilla semifreddo) and write the recipe in your notebook with the date.
- Change one thing only: the flavour, the sugar, a swirl, a topping or the shape. Make a small batch.
- Taste with a friend or family member, and write down what you would change. Repeat until you are happy, then name it.
Allergens in new recipes
Allergens: ice cream usually contains milk (cream, condensed milk), and often egg, nuts, peanuts, soy (in some chocolate and cookies) and wheat (cookies and cones). Check labels, and never serve a nut-containing ice cream to someone with a nut allergy without telling them. Coconut cream or oat cream can replace dairy cream in some recipes, but the texture changes.Nuts: pistachios, almonds and other nuts (and pastes made from them) are serious allergens, and some products are made in factories that handle other nuts. Never serve them to a guest without asking, and make a nut-free swap when anyone has an allergy.
Allergen cards: put a small card by every dessert listing what is in it (milk, egg, nuts, wheat, soy, sesame, gluten from malt). Ask your guests about allergies before you plan, and keep one dessert (such as a granita or sorbet) free of milk, egg and nuts.
Experiments
Experiment
A timed frozen table
Plan against the clock.
- Write the full plan for your four-dessert table, then follow it and note how long each job really took.
Look for: Most people find the real times differ from the plan: freezing and softening take longer than expected. Adjust the plan for next time.
Experiment
Swap one dessert
Same table, one change.
- Replace one dessert with another style, for example a granita instead of a gelato, and see how the table balances.
Look for: A swap changes the balance of the table: two creamy desserts feel heavy, while an icy one lightens it. Write down which mix you prefer.
Experiment
Standing times
Soften and taste.
- Serve a scoop of the same gelato straight from the freezer, and after 5 and 10 minutes. Compare.
Look for: Straight from the freezer it is hard; at 5 minutes it is firm and scoopable; at 10 minutes it is soft and full-flavoured. Plan the standing time into your table.
Experiment
Your own frozen dessert
One change at a time.
- Change just one thing in your favourite recipe (the flavour, the sugar level, a swirl or a topping) and make a small batch.
Look for: Changing one thing makes it clear what each change does. Write it in your notebook and name the result.
Tasting notes
| What I tried | Method or amount | What I saw | What I thought | Will I do it again? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Two-dessert table | ||||
| Four-dessert table | ||||
| Make-ahead plan | ||||
| House recipe | ||||
| Timed frozen table | ||||
| Swap one dessert | ||||
| Standing times | ||||
| Your own dessert |
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Desserts all taste the same | Similar flavours or textures | Choose a contrasting set: icy, creamy, sliced and crunchy |
| Freezer is too full | Too many desserts at once | Make a day at a time; use shallow, stackable tubs |
| Desserts are rock hard | Not softened | Stand 10 minutes before serving |
| Desserts melt at the table | Left out too long | Bring out one at a time and return the rest |
| Running late | No written plan | Make a timeline and do the hot sugar a day early |
| A guest has an allergy | No allergen information | Label every dessert and keep a nut-, egg- and milk-free option |
Freezer, hot sauces and allergens
Freezer space and temperature: a table of four frozen desserts needs room. Clear space in the freezer a day ahead, keep it at -18°C or colder, and don't pack it so full that air can't circulate. Take desserts out one at a time, and put the rest back at once. Don't refreeze anything that has melted (see Cooking Skills: Ice Cream 1, chapter 7).Hot things at the table: keep hot sauces in a jug with a lid, away from the edge and children, and warm them only just before serving. Hot caramel and wafers are not for children to handle (see chapters 5 and 6 of this course).
Allergen cards: put a small card by every dessert listing what is in it (milk, egg, nuts, wheat, soy, sesame, gluten from malt). Ask your guests about allergies before you plan, and keep one dessert (such as a granita or sorbet) free of milk, egg and nuts.
Checkpoint: can you do this now?
- I can choose four contrasting frozen desserts.
- I can write a make-ahead plan, working backwards.
- I make hot-sugar jobs early.
- I label allergens and offer a safe option.
- I have written down my own house recipe.
Next chapter
This is the last chapter of Cooking Skills: Ice Cream 2. Cooking Skills: Pastry 1 (planned) will add tart cases and sweet shells to fill with ice cream.