It’s August; it’s hot. The sun is beating down and all you can think of is something sweet and cold. In other words, it’s ice cream weather.

Or maybe, instead of ice cream, it’s a good day for a rich gelato delight, or perhaps a light, melt-in-your-mouth sorbet.

Ah, but a double cone of sherbet or a fruity granita would be a great thirst quencher as well as a sweet treat. There are so many cool options these days for those who love frozen goodies, it’s not easy to make a quick decision.

In Italy, it’s all about the gelato, which has become increasingly popular in this country in the past few years. But what, you may ask, makes gelato different from ice cream? If you’ve had real Italian gelato, made on the premises as it almost always is in Italy, you can feel as well as taste the difference, but it’s not easy to put into words.

Both ice cream and gelato are made with a cooked (usually but not always) base of sugar, milk and/or cream, flavorings, and sometimes fruits and/or nuts. The difference lies more in the processing; gelato is seldom frozen hard, which is why it keeps for only a short time, and is usually a bit softer in texture. Gelato aficionados claim there is no comparison, and fortunately for us, it’s becoming more and more popular and available here.

As for sorbet and sherbet, again, what’s the difference? Many people believe they’re just two different names for the same thing; not so. Sorbet is totally free of any milk products, making it perfect for those who are lactose intolerant, whereas sherbet often contains some milk or milk product, as well as often egg white and/or gelatin.

Granita, another frozen concoction that came to us from Italy, is related to sorbet but usually coarser in texture. It’s made from sugar, water and various kinds of flavorings such as fruit juice or pureed fruit, sometimes made in a gelato-style machine and finely grained, but more often simply frozen to a near frosty consistency then scraped or shaved to serve. Granita, by the way, is a must with coffee throughout parts of Italy. Try it sometime; you’ll see why.

So, what’s your pleasure on a hot summer day? Any of the above would do the trick, as would any of the myriad possible good things that could be made from them, such as coffee gelato with a caramel topping and a few nuts, which is what I’m putting together just as soon as I get off this computer.

Too many cool delights, too few hot days.

RECIPES

Here’s a couple of recipes for gelato; one very typical of Italian gelato (12! egg yolks), rich and lemony; the other not quite so egg-rich, but if you love coffee with ice cream, coffee gelato is the way to go.

LEMON PISTACHIO GELATO

4 cups milk (don’t use skim or low-fat)

11/3 cups sugar

12 egg yolks, beaten

1 lemon

½ cup frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed

1/3 cup chopped toasted pistachios (or substitute almonds, if preferred)

In a large saucepan combine the milk, sugar and egg yolks. Use a vegetable peeler to cut long strips of peel from the lemon, add to milk in the pan. Cook and stir over med. heat just until mixture thickens enough to coat a metal spoon. Remove from heat and discard peel. Transfer mixture to a large bowl, cover surface with plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent “skin” forming. Refrigerate at least 2 hrs. or more, until chilled completely. (You can also place the saucepan in a large bowl of ice water to accelerate chilling.)

Stir lemonade concentrate and nuts into milk mixture and freeze in an ice cream machine according to manufacturer’s instructions (mine takes about 15-20 min. to bring mixture to gelato consistency). Serve. If you put this in containers in the freezer, it will keep but will be more like ice cream than gelato. Makes 7 cups.

GELATO AL CAFÉ

1 cup milk

1 vanilla bean

2 eggs

¾ cup superfine sugar (available in baking/sugar section)

¾ cup extra strong coffee

1 cup heavy cream

Pour milk into a saucepan; split the vanilla bean in half and scrape the seeds into the milk. Bring to a boil, remove from heat and allow to cool.

Beat the eggs with the sugar until pale and fluffy. Add coffee and cream and cooled vanilla milk, mixing well. Pour the mixture into the container of an ice cream maker and process according to manufacturer’s instructions. (Be sure the mixture is cool first; if not, chill it in the refrigerator, with plastic wrap on the surface, until thoroughly cooled.) Serves 6.

For adults only, sherbet with a bit of a kick.

LEMON SHERBET

3 lemons

2 1/4 cups water

1 cup superfine sugar

1/4 cup vodka

Thinly peel the rind of one of the lemons; squeeze the juice from all of them. Pour the water into a saucepan, add sugar and the lemon peel. Bring to a boil, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Simmer for 15 min. then remove from the heat. Removed lemon peel (discard) and allow the syrup to cool. Strain the lemon juice into the syrup and add the vodka. Pour mixture into an ice cream maker and process for about 20 min., or according to manufacturer’s instructions. Serves 6.

And for that Italian ice mentioned in the column, this is a very refreshing, zesty summertime treat.

STRAWBERRY ITALIAN ICE

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup water

1 T. finely shredded orange peel

2 t. finely shredded lemon peel

1 1/2 t. finely shredded lime peel

1/3 cup orange juice

3 T. lemon juice

2 T. lime juice

4 cups sliced fresh strawberries

In a med. saucepan combine the sugar, water and peels. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 5 min. Cool slightly; strain and discard peels. Stir in orange, lemon and lime juices.

In a blender or food processor combine half of the juice mixture and half of the strawberries. Cover and blend or process with several on/off pulses until nearly smooth (leave some small chunks of strawberry). Transfer to a 2 qt. freezer container. Repeat with remaining juice mixture and strawberries. Cover and freeze for 6 to 24 hrs., stirring once after 3 hrs.

To serve, scrape across frozen mixture with a large spoon and place into individual serving dishes. If mixture is too firm, let stand at room temp. for 20 min. or so before scraping. Makes about 8 servings.