With a heat wave sweeping across large parts of the United States, I thought it might be time to remind everyone of mankind’s favorite culinary antidote to rising temperatures…ice cream.

Not just the ordinary ice cream one gets at the supermarket or at the corner store, but homemade ice cream, whether cranked by hand, formed in a ziplock, or made with the help of an electric ice cream maker.

One of the joys of homemade ice cream is that you can make any flavor you’ve ever fantasized about, from peanut-butter Nutella to fig cardamom to mango macadamia and pistachio pomegranate.

One of my fondest memories is running for our departing train in Venice with last-minute hazelnut gelato…our final, fleeting souvenir of that beautiful city.

I’ll also never forget the sheer sybaritic pleasure of the fresh peach ice cream we had at a country church rummage sale near Waterloo Village.

Here’s a few homemade ice cream recipes to help you find inspiration as you whip up your own original antidotes.

• Salted Caramel Ice Cream from Orangette

• Manuka Honey and Orange Blossom Ice Cream from Ice Cream Ireland

• Creole Cream Cheese Ice Cream from Nola Cuisine

• Kulfi (Saffron-Pistachio Ice Cream) from Kadai Cuisine

• Rhubarb Ice Cream from Sugar Laws

• Papaya-Mango Ice Cream and Tamarind Coconut Ice Cream from The Leftover Queen

• Avocado Ice Cream from The Food Network

• Black Sesame Ice Cream from Haverchuk

Also, here’s a video from About.Com Japanese Food that shows how to make your own homemade black sesame ice cream. I came across some last week when shopping at the new local Asian market and it was wonderful!

As Voltaire once said, “Ice-cream is exquisite - what a pity it isn’t illegal.”

What was the best homemade ice cream you ever had? What exotic ice cream do you dream of making (or trying) someday?

Tomorrow, we’ll be writing about salt water taffy, which is celebrating its 125th anniversary.

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