I often hear people lament their inability to make frozen desserts for lack of equipment. But nothing's quite as satisfying as pulling dessert out of the freezer at the end of a long meal—nodding, yes, it is homemade. For these occasions, we have granita, one of the easiest and most elegant desserts ever made. The ingredients couldn't be simpler, the technique no more elementary. And they wake up the palate like nothing else. No ice cream maker required. More

Massaman curry has always been my favorite of the Thai curries. I particularly appreciate its complex sweetness, and have long wanted to work it into a dessert. The Southern Thai curry, thought to be influenced by Indonesian cuisine, is characterized by warm spices like star anise, mace or nutmeg, and cinnamon. In this sorbet, the rich coconut is spiked with tangy, spicy curry and sharp lime. It's a perfect March dessert: the deep flavors of winter get pierced by spring's brightness. More

If this sounds like something up your alley, you can look forward to what may be the richest caramel you will ever eat. Besides adding complex flavor, the duck fat lets the caramel linger on the tongue long after the ice cream is gone. Soy sauce works surprisingly well with caramel, drawing out its buttery qualities. More

I have long resented the use of the word "vanilla" to mean bland, blah, and boring. Real vanilla is deep and complex. Anyone who thinks vanilla is boring hasn't tasted this ice cream. More

Beets may sound like an unlikely candidate for an ice cream, but they share chocolate's earthy, fruity sweetness, enhanced all the more so by roasting them first. Mixing beets with chocolate and churning them into ice cream dampens their funky qualities; this ice cream tastes more of marshmallow than vegetable, with only the subtle aftertaste of chocolate. More

The key to a great Valentine's Day dessert is lightness. The lush, raspberry base is balanced beautifully with tart hibiscus, light rose sweetness and a hint of lavender at the finish. Sweet and clean with an underlying complexity, it's incredibly easy to make and the final product is a bright and beautiful pink. More

Oil doesn't hit you over the head in this ice cream—that's the rosemary's job. Its alpine punch recedes as the ice cream melts on the tongue, giving way to the sweet, resinous honey. More

Only after I served this was I told it was basically a scoopable Dark and Stormy. But that's no problem for me—the combination of ginger beer and dark rum is pretty awesome. More

A friend who tasted an earlier batch of this ice cream compared its flavor (very happily) to cigarettes. Needless to say, the recipe has been adjusted. Post adjustments, it's sweet and smoky with a slight black pepper kick, and deep spice aroma—but if you're looking to make cigarette-flavored ice cream, simply double the amount of black cardamom. Delish. More

In Asia, black sesame ice cream is as classic a flavor as vanilla in the States. There's not much to improve on it—it just works. Ground black sesame seeds take on the texture of tahini in that "so creamy it changes your perception of what creamy can be" sort of way. The rich, roasted flavors of the seeds, which give off an aroma as complex as fine chocolate, are a perfect match for a light custard. More