You don’t realize how much weird ice cream-related news there is until you start combing through the archives of the Internet for it. Not old stuff, either. I’m talking about recent weird news. As always, three of the stories below are 100 percent true and one was made up by the Turkey Hill team. Leave a comment with your guess about which is the frozen fake.

WHO’S GOT THE SPRINKLES? – Highway crews in Manchester, England are describing it as “a big mess” and ice cream lovers were tempted to stop their cars and grab a spoon when a frozen foods truck carrying more than 10,000 half gallon containers of ice cream overturned on a highway just outside the city. No one was injured in the accident, but it did send half of the truck’s frosty cargo tumbling out onto the three-lane road and bring traffic to a standstill until the melee could be cleared.

THE MIRACLE DESSERT – Researchers at New Zealand’s University of Auckland have developed an ice cream with two active dairy ingredients that combine to address the unpleasant side effects of chemotherapy. The helpful treat, called ReCharge, is available in strawberry flavor and is being tested with cancer patients in six New Zealand cities.

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Cookbook Corner: Spice Dreams: Flavored Ice Cream And Other Frozen Treats: In a last, desperate bid to cling to summer, this week we are once again focusing on ice cream.Portland's ice cream shops have gotten a lot of attention this year, particularly for their innovative flavors that take liberties with basil, chiles and other ingredients our taste buds aren't used to experiencing with a mouthful of cold treat.

Hey, kids, now you can try this at home.

Sara Engram and Katie Luber, founders of the Baltimore-based organic spice company the Seasoned Palate, share their recipes for frozen concoctions such as chile-lemongrass ice cream and mango sorbet with cumin and cinnamon in their new book,  "Spice Dreams: Flavored Ice Cream and Other Frozen Treats" (Andrews McMeel, $16.99).

Sure, some of the flavor combos sound a little, um, challenging. The pink grapefruit-tarragon sorbet and the chocolate ice cream with cumin and fennel may be acquired tastes. (The authors claim the sorbet makes a great palate cleanser.

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It started with vanilla, as I’m sure it always does. So pure, so simple, just some cream, milk, sugar, vanilla — almost instant happiness. There’s just something about summer that intensifies the joys of ice cream. Yes, we can savor a scoop or two at any time of the year, but given the bounty of summer flavors, some of us get the urge to experiment with unexpected ingredients.

Armed with my sturdy little Cuisinart ice cream maker, I did just that during a span of several recent days. We traveled a sweet and savory path, the ice cream maker and I, and although it was a wonderful ride for the most part, we did run into an unexpected rocky road. But with my candy-laden tendencies, the journey began with blissful flavors.

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» 2 pounds strawberries
» 3/4 cup sugar (separated 1/4 cup and 1/2 cup)
» 1 cup whole milk
» 1 cup heavy cream
» 6 egg yolks
» 2-3 oz. mild goat cheese

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There's nothing quite like homemade ice cream, and I'm planning to dust off my ice cream maker, as my friend Lori just did. She shares her recipe for Toasted Hazelnut Ice Cream (pictured) on her blog, Stuff to Eat. After research (for the record, I'm totally on board with any type of ice cream research), she found an ingredient combo that gave the texture she was looking for.

After the hazelnut success, she tweaked Epi's Blueberry Ice Cream recipe. "I used locally grown blueberries that were amazingly sweet, plump, and juicy," she reports. She was aiming for a frozen treat close to her favorite Ben and Jerry's flavor, Maine Blueberry: "My version had much more intense flavor and color, and even though my son complained about 'too much blueberry skin,' it didnt stop him from practically devouring the entire container." Are you a home ice cream maker? What's your favorite recipe?

This is a fabulous, fast, and foolproof iced cream that is easily made without the ice cream maker. It is refreshing and perfect…anytime fresh berries are in season. The recipe calls for a juicer, which is a handy kitchen electric to have. If you don't have one, puree the blueberries in a blender or food processor and then put the juice through a sieve to extract the juice from the skins. I use and recommend the sweet plump berries from Driscoll's Organic brand. Their flavor is sweet and true.

Ingredients 2 pint Driscoll's Organic brand blueberries (about a generous 2 cups, juiced to yield about 3/4- to 1-cup fresh juice), plus additional fresh berries to garnish Zest from 1/2 fresh lemon 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice Scant 1 cup confectioners' sugar 2 cups heavy whipping cream, plus more if needed Fresh mint sprigs, to garnish.

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The recipe

Serves 6

600ml milk
1 fat vanilla pod
6 egg yolks
150g caster sugar

Pour 600ml milk into a saucepan. Slice a fat vanilla pod in half lengthways and scrape the sticky black vanilla seeds into the pan with the point of a knife. Drop the scraped pod in, too, then bring the mixture almost to the boil. Turn off the heat just before it boils. Leave for 30 minutes or so, for the vanilla to flavour the milk.

Beat 6 egg yolks and 150g caster sugar till light and fluffy. Fish out the vanilla pod but not the seeds from the milk, then pour it through a sieve into the egg yolks and sugar, stirring till you get a thin custard. Pour it into a clean saucepan.

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When you write a cooking column, some things, no matter how much you like them, just aren't going to be hits. Take clams, for instance. I looked at the traffic statistics.

Apparently no one wants to eat, much less make, black pepper clams, even though they're so good they'll make your toes curl. But ice cream? Ice cream is an easy sell. In fact, I won't even have to sell it. Watch this:

THE ICE CREAM MAN IS COMING! Ok. How many of you started to look out the window? Even though really good ice cream is easy to come across in any supermarket, here's why it's worth making:

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Living in Florida, it can be hard to tell when Spring rolls into Summer without looking at the calendar. One sure sign for me is the arrival of stone fruits in the markets, especially peaches.

Around this time of year, peaches are everywhere, from the farmer’s markets to the grocery stores to the roadside stands that dot the sides of our country roads.

These ripe, juicy orbs of sweetness just beg to be dressed up as cobblers, compotes, crisps and of course, ice cream. I am only too happy to oblige!

For this luscious Honey-Peach Ice Cream, I decided to roast my peaches with a little honey. If you’ve never eaten a roasted peach, you’re missing out.

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Beer ice cream

Total time: 20 minutes, plus freezing timeServings: 2 to 4

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