It's unseasonably hot here. Instead of the normal 70 or 75 F. maximum, with sporadic rain showers we expect in a Pacific Northwest June, it's been over 80 F. for the last three days. I'm tied to my laptop, figuratively at least, and it's adding more heat, enough that I have a cushion between my laptop and me to avoid burning. This calls for emergency rations; therefore, I offer for your delectation:

Emergency Ice Cream

Ingredients

• 1 blender or food processor
• 1 package frozen fruit (8 to 10 ounces)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Procedure

1. Add the sugar and the vanilla extract to the cream; stir, trying to mix the sugar in thoroughly. It will still be a little grainy.
2. Place the frozen fruit and the cream mixture in a food processor or blender. Blend until the fruit is pretty much minced and the mixture resembles ice cream.
3. Eat.

I usually sample the ice cream and put the rest in a sealed container in the freezer; it will be better later. Even an hour or so will help it "set." You can keep it frozen for as much as a week, before the cream will start separating. This really is ersatz ice cream, sort of half way between sorbet and ice cream, but it's easy, quick, and can help you keep writing when you convinced that your skin is melting.

You can mess with this recipe a fair amount. You can cut the sugar a little, but don't eliminate it completely; it affects the texture. You can use honey instead of sugar. If you use honey, mix it with the fruit first, before adding the fruit to the cream. You can use all sorts of fruit; berries work really well. I like to use fresh peaches or about a quart of fresh strawberries or other fresh berries and freeze them overnight, instead of using commercially frozen fruit. Just cut up a couple of peaches, add a little sugar (add ascorbic acid or a little lemon juice to peaches and apricots to keep them from changing color) and put them in a freezer bag over night. If you use commercially frozen fruit, don't forget that you can use fruit like mango chunks, or a mix of berries (stores usually have bags of mixed raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries or strawberries). I've used soft-frozen lemon, lime and orange juice; freeze a half cup or so of the juice until it's a thick slush but not a lump of ice, and add some zest from the peel. Frozen bananna works well too. If you use frozen juice concentrate from a can, do cut the sugar to about a 1/4 cup. Adding a little fresh grated ginger or finely chopped candied ginger is a lovely addition, especially with peaches. Leave the frozen fruit in the freezer until you are ready to blend it in. It doesn't hurt to put the heavy cream in the freezer for a half hour or so before you use it.

Alternatively, you can try making traditional real ice cream, ice cream using a custard base, or sorbet, or even ersatz ice cream made using Ziploc^TM bags