Ice Cream

Americans emphasize the first word of ice cream; the British emphasize the second, but no matter how the words are pronounced, they describe the same stuff. Caryl Churchill's play Ice Cream, which Villanova University theater is presenting, is about the differences and the similarities the playwright sees between Americans and Britons. The title also brings to mind the word dessert, and that, within the play's context, makes one think of just deserts. The major characters not only don't get their just deserts, they get away with murder.

Dear Polly: Why is salt added to the ice in an ice cream freezer? - Melissa Dear Melissa: The salt speeds the melting of the ice - just like it does on your driveway. This cools the cream mixture more quickly, which promotes speedy and even freezing. Pre-chilling the cream mixture before freezing it in your ice cream machine will further speed the process. However, adding more salt than is recommended for your particular machine is not a good idea. If the freezing process is speeded up too much, the ice cream will tend to be icy rather than creamy.

A Port Richmond girl was safe at home and the neighborhood ice cream vendor who allegedly pulled her into his vehicle and drove her around against her will was under arrest yesterday, charged with kidnapping. "He said whatever he does to me, he'll pay me money and not to tell anybody," 12-year-old Jessica Galdo said of her alleged abductor, Mohammed Saleh, 19, of Summerdale. In an interview yesterday, she said Saleh cruised around the neighborhood with her Monday afternoon, sometimes stopping to sell his treats.

Anyone who remembers the days when Raymond Goodnoe Sr. sold freshly made, hand-dipped ice cream in a shack at the edge of his Newtown farm will be glad to know that it soon will be available at supermarkets. The farm, founded in 1918 by Goodnoe's father, John, and now run by his son Skip, has expanded over the years and is now Goodnoe's Restaurant, at Route 532 (Sycamore Street) at the end of the Route 413 Bypass. This spring, Goodnoe's will begin distributing 26 regular flavors, plus a few seasonal favorites, to restaurants and retail outlets.

On the porch of historic Pennypacker Mills in Schwenksville, freshly made, hand-cranked ice cream will be served Sunday afternoon. "A Little Scoop of History," planned from 1 to 3 p.m., is designed to be reminiscent of the ice cream socials that were a popular part of summer life in the Victorian era. Besides the free program, tours of the mansion are offered from 1 to 3:30 p.m. Sunday. Pennypacker Mills was the home of Gov. Samuel Pennypacker at the turn of the 20th century and contains antique furnishings collected by the governor.

Without Philadelphians' love of ice cream, there might not have been a market for such entrepreneurs as Ian Cooper, creator of the PretzLcone and the CookEcone. In the late 1800s, there were nearly 50 ice cream manufacturers here, making the city the ice cream capital of the United States. And in the 1940s, Philadelphians consumed more ice cream per capita than the residents of any other city in the country. As for ice cream quality, Philadelphia was setting the standard back in the 19th century.

It's time to indulge your cravings for cold, delicious ice cream. But why waste your time searching all over the city for the best places when the Daily News does it for you? Three high school interns ate as much ice cream as they could stomach - by visiting ice cream parlors, big chains and local favorites in search of the best. In spite ofDespite this week's not very ice cream-friendly weather, Philly does promise a long, hot summer. Here are their picks for the best of the best, rated for: Taste, seating, flavor selection, atmosphere and, of course, topping selections.

With so many local shops selling artisan ice cream, making your own at home may seem like a feat for the why-bother file. But there are reasons to bother, especially with three new books from ice cream talents sharing the recipes that made their reputations. Panforte ice cream. Cheesecake ice cream. Vietnamese coffee ice cream. Pear-pecorino ice cream. Who knew there was so much more to say on the subject? The new works by San Francisco pastry chef Emily Luchetti, Burlingame food writer Peggy Fallon, and former Chez Panisse pastry chef David Lebovitz take ice cream in imaginative and sometimes startling new directions.

If your idea of an ice cream sandwich involves a gooey wrapper and sticky fingers, you probably haven't ordered dessert at Jones, the trendy comfort food restaurant at 7th and Chestnut streets. Pastry chef Sonjia Spector makes fancified versions of the ice cream-truck favorite. The sandwiches are so delish, you don't even mind eating them with a fork. Though Jones uses its own homemade chocolate chip ice cream, cooks can substitute their own versions at home. JONES' ICE CREAM SANDWICH 1 gallon store-bought or homemade ice cream For the chocolate cake: 4 1/2 ounces quality bittersweet chocolate 3 eggs, separated 2 1/4 ounces butter 2 1/4 ounces sugar For the cake: melt butter with chocolate over simmering water.

The summer I was 6, I measured my life with Popsicle sticks. By my estimation, my life would be complete when I had 88 - the number needed to build this really neat box in which to store my baseball card collection. My plan was simple: Every day in that longest of summers, when I heard the familiar tin music turning out of the shiny white ice cream truck at the top of the street, I would stop whatever I was doing and run toward it, the dime I had panhandled from my mother or father hot in my hand.