cream and sugar?

Cookie Puss, Fudgie the Whale — I got nuthin' but love for ya, baby. Choco Taco, we've had some good times, my little ice cream novelty. Make-your-own-sundae bar? Don't go changing.

But sometimes I want something a little more refined. A cool, cold dessert I can bust out for grown-ups that is full of icy-good flavor but skips the supersweet icing, smiley faces, drippy messes and all that other kid stuff.

I'm talking about what you serve when you want to drop a bomb, people. Make that a bombe, an ice cream bombe — layers of ice cream and/or sorbet in a funky dome shape. It looks tame at first, but cut into it and hear guests gasp at the cross-section of ice cream awesomeness that awaits.

Bombes are easy to make, despite their impressive appearance, and there's an endless amount of flavor and color combinations you can try. Not up for it? Then get in on the next big thing in ice cream and buy a gourmet ice cream cake, like the one pictured above from Café Glacé.

Café Glacé comes up with the clever combos so you don't have to: mint chocolate macaroon, lavender and plum, even sophisticated takes on kid favorites like PB&J and creamsicles. I tried the spiced pear (cinnamon ice cream, pear sorbet), which would dress up an autumn dinner party and make a great addition to the usual spread of Thanksgiving desserts.

Comments

Don't forget about Vienetta -- that fancy ice cream novelty made of frilly layers of ice cream and crispy flakes of chocolate. These cakes seem like the updated version of that. Something you can take out of the freezer to make your guests ooh and aah. I think if I pulled a Vienetta out of the freezer these days, I'd just make my guests laugh. :-)

I've always been a sucker for those watermelon ice-cream cakes from Friendly's. They're perfect for summer.

Friendly's? What a blast from the past, let's hear it for the East coast.