Required reading

Ice cream is always an appropriate dessert. Even after a fancy dinner party, bowls of chocolate ice cream or strawberry sorbet are appreciated (and a lot less trouble than baking a cake.)

But the ice cream can be just the beginning, as you'll see in The Scoop (Villard; $17.95) in which Lori Longbotham shows how to turn store-bought ice cream into a variety of cakes, pies, sundaes, floats, tarts, terrines and bombes.

The recipes range from simple sauces and fruit toppings to elaborate creations like chocolate truffle ice cream layer cake or the classic ice cream dessert, baked Alaska. There are even recipes for homemade ice cream cones (which seems a little silly when you're buying the ice cream, but they don't sound too difficult.)

From the book

Sgroppino: This is a classic throughout the Veneto region of Italy, where it's served year-round as a palate cleanser just before dessert.

1 1/2 cups chilled prosecco, Champagne, or other sparkling wine

1 pint lemon sorbet

1/4 cup vodka, optional

Pour the prosecco into a blender. Add the sorbet and the vodka, if using, and blend just until smooth but still thick. Pour into chilled glasses and serve immediately, with spoons.