Remove 1/2 cup of the hot milk mixture from the saucepan and add slowly to the beaten egg yolks while whisking vigorously.

Whisk this mixture back into the cream mixture in the saucepan. Over low heat, cook mixture until it reaches 180 degrees, stirring constantly, about 5 minutes. The custard should be the thickness of heavy cream but should not boil or bubble. If the mixture starts to give off a fair amount of steam, take it off the heat for a few moments and stir vigorously.

Pour custard through a fine-mesh strainer into a nonreactive bowl. Stir in vanilla extract.

Place bowl into a larger bowl filled halfway with ice water to cool. When mixture reaches room temperature, cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or for at least 6 hours.

When mixture is chilled, transfer to an ice-cream machine and follow manufacturer's directions. The ice cream will still be somewhat soft after churning.

Pour ice cream into a large bowl, and fold in cherries, blueberries and coconut. Serve as is, or transfer ice cream to an airtight container and freeze until firm, 1-2 hours. Makes about 21/2 quarts.

— adapted from "The Dessert Bible," by Christopher Kimball

STRAWBERRY SORBET

2 12-ounce packages frozen raspberries, thawed

1 16-ounce package frozen strawberries, thawed

1 1/2 cups sugar (to taste)

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 cup strawberry jam

Puree raspberries in blender. Press through a sieve to remove seeds, if desired. Puree strawberries with sugar, lemon juice and jam until sugar is dissolved.

Pour into large bowl and mix in pureed raspberries. You should have about 6-7 cups of sorbet mixture. Pour into a large bowl and chill in the freezer until mixture is slightly frozen. Transfer to an ice cream machine and churn following the manufacturer's directions. Scoop into a plastic container, seal well and transfer to the freezer for several hours. If sorbet is hard to scoop, let sit at room temperature for several minutes to soften.

Makes about 2 quarts.

— Valerie Phillips

AVOCADO ICE CREAM

8 ripe avocados, peeled, pitted and chopped (about 2 cups)

2 cups whipping cream

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice