Vanilla

CHRISTIAN GATTI'S BAVARIAN CREME 1 ounce gelatin 2 tablespoons rum 2 tablespoons brandy 2 tablespoons Grand Marnier 1 quart heavy cream 1 quart whole milk 1 vanilla bean sliced in half lengthwise with seeds removed, or 2 teaspoons real vanilla extract Pinch salt 3/4 cup sugar 12 egg yolks 1 cup white chocolate, chopped (if using white chocolate chips, add 4 tablespoons vegetable oil)...

Remember the Chipwich craze? Back in the '80s, folks couldn't get enough of the ice cream sandwich that packed a giant scoop of vanilla between two doughy chocolate chip cookies. These days, people still grab Chipwiches from freezer cases. But baker Roz Bratt, who owns a cozy 5th Street pastry shop called Homemade Goodies, thinks a couple of her buttery oatmeal raisin cookies would make a great homemade alternative to the familiar treat. Roz says vanilla ice cream tastes great with her cookies, but you might want to try raspberry sherbet or rum raisin.

MICHAEL Smerconish's assertion ("Hooray for Vajayjay!") that the word vagina is encouraged by feminists to make the vagina itself less inviting to men, misses the mark like a virgin on his wedding night. In Latin, "vagina" means sheath, as in a casing for a sword, and it's also the root for the word "vanilla. " Mr. Smerconish wants to move away from the mystery and allure of "vagina" to a word that's a little more Maxim. He likes that vajayjay says "open for business" and that it's a little more "Facebook.

Ice cream is a mental payoff. It says, "I'm worth it. " That's the "treat or reward" an ice cream lover feels he has earned after achieving a goal, according to Wendell Arbuckle, professor emeritus of dairy sciences at the University of Maryland, College Park, author of numerous ice cream textbooks and consultant to an ice cream manufacturer. Among his other reasons why people like ice cream: Habit: Ice cream is as much a part of some daily regimens as coffee in the morning or bread and butter with a meal.

Blueberries put the blue in a July 4 barbecue. This cobbler recipe, from 'Something Sweet" by Jack Bishop (Simon & Schuster/$15), is a fine way to welcome summer. Choose blueberries that are plump and taut. Avoid wrinkled berries; they're past their prime. BEST-EVER BLUEBERRY COBBLER 3 cups blueberries 1/2 cup sugar, plus 3 tablespoons 1/3 cup orange juice 2/3 cup flour 1/4 teaspoon baking powder Pinch salt 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened 1 large egg 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In South Philly, all conversations and dinners end at the first note from a music box on a white paneled truck. Like homing pigeons, barefoot children rush out of their homes and zero in on the melody. Inside the truck, behind a small window, Vedat Aboush, 23, is waiting for them. They wave, then turn their attention to the decals glued to the window. Standing on tiptoe, they point their teeny fingers to the picture that they like the best. And then the children utter one of two magic words: va-NEL-a CHA-klit And presto, Aboush hands them a wafer cone of soft ice cream in their favorite flavor of the moment.

For the muffins: 10 ounces unbleached all-purpose flour 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 3 eggs 1/4 cup milk 2 tablespoons heavy cream 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 1 teaspoon lemon zest 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, very soft 3/4 cup superfine sugar 1/2 cup sliced roasted almonds For...

If they had stuck a thermometer into the asphalt in front of Duffer's that afternoon, the mercury would have probably burst through the cap. An old basketball buddy had touted Duffer's as the best ice cream palace at the Shore, bar none, and we were certainly not there to prove him wrong. Sure enough, Duffer's (Hildreth and Pacific avenues, Wildwood, 609-729-1817) didn't disappoint. Duffer's, with its adjacent miniature golf course and game arcade, goes for the old-timey feel - Tiffany-style lamps, white-shirted waiters, goofily named sundaes.

Q: I am into S&M — and I don't mean Steve and Mia. I am a sub, but my husband is not a dom. When we started dating five years ago, I refused to have sex until I was able to reveal myself. I told him to research it and get back to me if he was still interested. He did come back, and we had an incredible relationship for three years. Then we married and the first year was great. But over the past year he has slowly gotten rid of my sexual paraphernalia. He has pushed me into what I term vanilla sex. Initially, I gave in because it was something he needed, and since he gave me what I wanted, it was only fair.

We're not sure if these Coconut Macaroons are like the Italian ones requested, but they sound delicious anyway. COCONUT MACAROONS 1/4 pound shredded coconut 1 teaspoon vanilla 1/8 teaspoon salt Sweetened condensed milk 1-3 stiffly beaten egg whites Sifted confectioners' sugar Add the vanilla and salt to the coconut. Then combine these ingredients with enough sweetened condensed milk to make a thick paste. Roll the paste into balls or drop it from a teaspoon onto greased tins, about 2 inches apart.