Ice Cream Desserts. Ideas for an ice cream dessert.

Ideas for making ice cream into an interesting dessert.

Ice cream is a useful standby for a dessert, but on its own served in a dish as a dessert it can seem boring. The dessert ideas here are not complicated or time consuming but by just adding one or two things two items you will have a dessert instead of just a bowl of ice cream.

Here are ten ideas for things that go well with ice cream. Some of the them just involve adding something to the ice cream, others need a bit of flair to make them look good but that is simple as it is all about how you put the ice cream and other ingredients together. Some ideas here need just a tiny bit more effort but are well worth it.

1. An Easy idea for a dessert made with ice cream and fruit that kids will enjoy.

A banana split is easy to make from banana and ice cream, this can be a simple or as luxurious as you want it to be. Why not try experimenting with different versions of banana splits until you have a favourite recipe for them. Cream is often used on Banana Splits but a healthier option is to use home made fruit sauce instead. Why not use the colorful ideas here for the kids and the more elegant ones like those that use the sauces and fruit for the adults.

An Easy to Make Banana Split.

Place the banana on an attractive and suitable plate - cutting the banana in half is a good idea as it makes it easier, then spoon ice cream in scoops on top of it.

Next you need to decorate the ice cream and banana with a selection of eye catching treats - be quick though or the ice cream will start to melt and spoil the appearance of the dessert.

Decorate banana split dessert in what ever way you want, but the following are fun ways to do this. Here are some different ideas of what to top banana splits with -

• You could sprinkle it with shavings of chocolate or chocolate drops.
• Or add a swirl of melted chocolate over it, then you could add chopped glacé fruit to it.
• Instead of melted chocolate you could swirl it with fruit syrup strawberry or raspberry would look good.
• Or you could decorate it with fresh fruits such as strawberries, grapes or cherries
• If you wanted to be it to be really luxurious you could dip the fresh strawberries or cherries into the melted chocolate before decorating you banana split with them.
• For kids desserts you might want to just add some sweets like smarties.
• Mini chocolate flakes can look good sprinkled over the ice cream.
• Try looking in the baking aisle at the supermarket they will have colored sugar strands for using with iced cakes.
• Any cake decorations such as sugar flower shapes could look pretty on banana splits and they would be a good idea to use for an easy to make dessert for a little girl's birthday party.

Hot Coffee and Cold Ice Cream provide a surprising dessert with a nice combination of flavors.

Making ice cream into a elegant dinner party dessert is not as difficult as it might seem, this idea is a sophisticated and grown-up way to serve and eat ice cream. This surprising dessert can be made quickly and at short notice as it only requires two ingredients - hot espresso coffee and cold ice cream. The hot and cold, light and dark combo makes this simple dessert one to remember. if this is to be served at a dinner party it is a good idea to practice making a test version before hand. Although it is simple to make the skill is in getting it to the table and to your guests - before the ice cream melts.

This ice cream dessert is more for a dinner date than a family meal, as it relies on the contrast between the fresh simple taste of cold vanilla ice cream and the bitter dark sophisticated taste of espresso coffee.

Prepare this ice cream and coffee dessert - seconds before you wish to eat it, serve promptly and be ready for the compliments.

• Put scoops of ice cream into an attractive small cup or a small dish (heat proof not glass).
• Pour over a small quantity of hot coffee, eat with a spoon before it melts away in front of your eyes.

A less sophisticated and instant way to add a coffee taste to your ice cream .

If you want the taste of coffee with ice cream in an instant - sprinkle a teaspoon of your favorite instant coffee over scoops of ice cream, a drizzle of melted chocolate would look and taste good with this or even a swirl of fruit puree.

Place your ice cream on a plate, sprinkle broken meringue over it, now drizzle the dessert with melted chocolate and/or raspberry sauce too if you wish.

To make a more luxurious version use more than one type of chocolate. Try grated chocolate on the surface and plain and white chocolate melted and drizzled over the dessert plate. You can make patterns in the sauce on the plate by dragging a 'skewer' across the parallel line of sauce. If you drag across in alternate directions and space them nicely you can make a wavy/feathered pattern in the sauce. You need to do the patterns on the plate in the sauce first - i.e. before adding the ice cream and meringue to the plates.

There are lots of different ways to serve ice cream with fruit and adding fruit adds a healthy element to the dessert.

Here is a list of ways of serving fruit with you ice cream

• Chopped mixed glace fruit can be mixed in or sprinkled over.
• Decorate your ice cream with strawberries cut in half.
• Serve with fruit compote.

Pancakes are simple to make and a tasty treat but you can buy them ready made if you are short of time. For home made pancakes make a simple batter mix.

Pancakes go well with many other treats for dessert ideas. For a change instead of serving them with lemon and sugar try serving pancakes with an ice cream and fruit compote filling, or cherry pie filling. If you want to you can drizzle chocolate sauce/melted chocolate over the ready to serve pancake or 'push the boat out' and have both chocolate and fruit sauces over your ice cream stuffed pancakes.

Icing sugar can look nice sieved over the fruit and ice cream stuffed pancakes.