At any season of the year frozen desserts are acceptable. Most housewives depend upon the confectioner to supply their ices and ice creams, although it is quite a simple matter to prepare them at home. The trouble of making them is no greater than that of making any dessert equally as attractive and palatable; and the question of expense is small as compared with the prices charged by the best caterers, and no more than any dish requiring the same amount of eggs, milk or cream.

For example, a plain ice cream is a frozen custard or just plain table cream sweetened, flavored and frozen. With a good ice cream freezer, either ice cream or water ice may be made quickly, and has the advantage over hot desserts in that they require no attention at dinner time. Parfaits and mousses require no stirring while freezing, and this class of frozen cream is one of the best of the frozen desserts.

Ice creams and water ices may be classified as follows; Philadelphia ice cream is a thin cream, sweetened, flavored and frozen; French ice creams are custards of different degrees of richness frozen; Parfaits and Mousses are whipped cream, with or without eggs, and frozen without stirring; Water Ices are frozen fruits juices, sweetened with a sugar syrup, with a little gelatine added to give body to the ice and to keep it from melting when served. Sherbet is a water ice with beaten white of egg added to the mixture; frozen punches are water ices with liquor mixed with them before or after they are frozen.

Unless the cream is to be whipped it should be scalded, otherwise the frozen cream will have a raw taste. The scalding should be done in a double boiler and simply allow the cream to heat through; if it is boiled or cooked too long the cream will not increase in quantity when frozen.

All frozen mixtures increase in bulk during freezing, so never fill the can over two-thirds full. It is an economy of time and ice to chill the mixture before freezing. The texture of ices is much better when not frozen too quickly. One measure of rock salt to three measures of finely crushed ice are the proportions to use for mixtures to be stirred while freezing. The ice should be pounded in a coarse sack and should be almost as fine as the salt for the freezing process; but for packing, the water should all be drained off and the ice broken in small lumps which will not melt quickly, and very little salt is required. Too much salt will cause the mixture to thicken too quickly and the cream will be coarse and granular. Do not draw off the salt water until cream is frozen.

Creams and ices ripen or become blended by standing, so they should be made some time before serving. Water ices are the simplest form of frozen desserts. They are inexpensive, and are easily made. The sugar and water should always be boiled to a thick syrup, otherwise the ice will have a raw taste and a coarse texture.

Mousses are made of whipped cream, flavored and sweetened, then poured into a closely covered mold and packed in finely cracked ice and coarse rock salt, and left to ripen 3 hours or more. Fruit drained of all juice may be added to the cream before freezing.

These make very attractive desserts and can be prepared early in the day and packed in ice and allowed to stand. The pail or utensil containing the mold should be drained of water several times and the melted ice replaced with fresh cracked ice.

The accompanying recipes are all the housewife will require for water ice or ice cream. The amounts may be increased and different ingredients used, but the foundation principles will remain the same.