One of my happiest childhood memories is taking turns with my sisters, cranking our old-fashioned ice cream maker. We would draw straws to determine who got to lick the paddle and somehow (luck? rigged straws?) I usually won the honor.

These days, I’ve gone modern and have an electric ice cream machine that cranks out an excellent product in jig time with very little effort. There's no rock salt, no drippy mess and best of all, no tired arms. And because I am Queen of the Kitchen, I still get to lick the paddle. Life is good.

When making homemade ice cream, try to locate additive free pasteurized cream (and half and half). Most organic markets carry them if your supermarket does not. They taste significantly better than ultra-pasteurized products.

If you are making a custard based ice cream, be sure and cook the eggs in the mixture to a high enough temperature to destroy any salmonella. An easy way to tell if it has cooked long enough is to check and see if the mixture coats the back of a spoon. If it does, it should be safe.

Always add just a pinch of kosher salt to your ice cream mixture to enhance the flavor (or a bit of fresh lemon juice if you are making ice creams with fruit in them).

If your recipe calls for alcohol in the mixture, wait to add it until the mixture reaches a slushy stage. And if you are adding solids like nuts or chocolate chips or fruit, add these right at the end of the churning time so they don’t all sink to the bottom.

Let your ice cream “ripen” in the freezer for a few hours before serving. It is always best the first day but will keep a day or two in the freezer.

Peanut butter ice cream

• 1 (12-oz.) jar chunky peanut butter
• 6 cups (1-1/2 qts.) half-and-half, divided use
• 6 large eggs
• 1 (14-oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

Cook peanut butter, 2 cups half-and-half, and eggs in a large soup pot set over low heat, whisking constantly, for 7 minutes or until a thermometer registers 160°F. Whisk in remaining 4 cups half-and-half, condensed milk, whole milk, and vanilla.

Combine sugar and flour; whisk into hot mixture until sugar dissolves.

Pour into freezer container of a 5-quart hand-turned or electric ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions.

Yield: 1 gallon.

Raspberry ice cream

• 1 pt. fresh raspberries (or 1 pkg. (12-oz.) frozen unsweetened raspberries, thawed)
• 6 Tbsp. sugar, or to taste
• 2-1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1 cup heavy cream

Crush the raspberries and then press them through a fine metal sieve set over a saucepan, using the back of a spoon to remove the seeds. You should have 1 generous cup of puree.

Stir in the sugar and lemon juice to the raspberry puree and let stand, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes or until the sugar is dissolved. Add the milk and half-and-half and taste to see if it needs a bit more sugar. If you do add more, stir well and let sit again until sugar is dissolved.

Cover and chill thoroughly. Pour into freezer container of a 1-gallon hand-turned or electric freezer. Freeze according to manufacturer's instructions. Yield: about 1-1/3 quarts.

Toasted coconut ice cream

• 2 cups flaked coconut
• 4 cups whole milk
• 1 cup sugar
• 6 large egg yolks
• 2 cups half-and-half
• 1 (16-oz.) can cream of coconut
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• Garnish: toasted coconut

Toast the 2 cups coconut in a shallow pan at 325°F, stirring often until golden brown. (Watch carefully; it can go from golden brown to black quickly.)

Whisk together milk, sugar, and egg yolks in a heavy saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, for 20 minutes or until mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon. (Do not boil.) Remove from heat; whisk in coconut, half-and-half, cream of coconut, and vanilla. Cover and chill 3 hours.

Pour into freezer container of a 1-gallon hand-turned or electric freezer. Freeze according to manufacturer's instructions.

Garnish with additional toasted coconut if desired. Yield: 10 cups.

Triple layer frozen terrine

• 1 pint pistachio ice cream
• 1 pint cherry sorbet
• 1 pint lemon frozen yogurt
• Chopped salted roasted pistachios, for garnish

Line a 9x5-inch loaf pan with plastic wrap, leaving a few inches of overhang all around. Cut the bottom off the pistachio ice cream and push the ice cream out onto a board.

Quickly cut the ice cream into 1/2 inch thick slabs and pack the slabs into the prepared loaf pan, pressing with back of a spoon to fill any gaps. Freeze 10 minutes or until firm.

Repeat with the sorbet for the middle layer and then the frozen yogurt for the top layer, freezing the terrine for 10 minutes between layers. Press a sheet of plastic wrap on top of the terrine, fold the overhanging wrap over and freeze until firm, about 1 hour.

Unmold the terrine and transfer to a platter. Serve the terrine in slices and sprinkle with the pistachios. Yield: 6 servings.

Berry delicious ice cream pie

• 1-1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs (you’ll need about 12 whole graham crackers)
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar
• 1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 3 pints strawberry ice cream, softened slightly, divided use
• 1 cup white balsamic vinegar
• 2 pints blueberries, plus more for serving

Combine cracker crumbs, brown sugar and butter in a small bowl and mix until evenly moistened. Press into a 9-inch glass pie plate; bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cool completely.

Meanwhile, line another 9-inch pie plate with plastic wrap and spread with 1 pint of the ice cream. Top with plastic wrap and freeze 10-15 minutes or until firm. Spread another pint of ice cream on top of the plastic, cover with plastic wrap and freeze. Repeat with a final layer of ice cream and freeze until firm.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan, boil the white balsamic vinegar over moderate heat for about 15 minutes or until reduced to 1/3 cup. Add the 2 pints of blueberries and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cook 8-10 minutes, crushing the berries, until mixture is thick and jammy. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and put in freezer until well chilled.

Transfer the top layer of flattened ice cream to the graham cracker crust, spreading it to the edges. Top with half of the blueberry mixture. Repeat with the middle layer of ice cream and the remaining blueberry mixture and top with the final layer of ice cream. Freeze 30-40 minutes or until firm. Cut the pie into wedges and garnish with fresh blueberries. Yield: 8 servings.

Paula Anderson is a freelance journalist specializing in food, entertaining and nutrition. She writes for several newspapers, as well as Maine Food & Lifestyle Magazine. She divides her time between Scarborough and Big Pine Key, Fla., where she lives with her husband Peter. Correspondence can be addressed to her at the Boothbay Register, P.O. Box 357, Boothbay Harbor, ME 04538 or the Wiscasset Newspaper, P.O. Box 429, Wiscasset, ME 04578. You can also write to her directly via email at pander@maine.rr.com.