Ice cream pies give cold, cold comfort/ Freezer desserts warm sweets

It must have been dessert amnesia. I hadn't made ice cream pies in more than 20 years.

Lauren Chattman's new book, "Icebox Pies: 100 Scrumptious Recipes for No-Bake No-Fail Pies" (Harvard Common Press, $16.95) brought them back to me. Colorful ice cream layered into luscious crumb crusts, sandwiched between bits of candy, cookies or gooey-rich sauce. The convenience and comfort. The backyard affability.

"They're so appealing because they're real dessert, but dessert that's really easy to make," Chattman said.

Here are Chattman's suggestions to make ice cream pie preparation go smoothly:

Homemade ice cream is delicious, but store-bought is perfectly acceptable.

Soften ice cream before adding it to pie crust. Let it stand at room temperature 10 to 20 minutes (depending on how hard the ice cream was and the temperature of the room). Or, place ice cream in microwave for a few seconds to soften, but not melt.

When serving, remove the pie from the freezer and allow it to sit at room temperature, unwrapped, for about 10 minutes. Or soften it for a few seconds in the microwave.

To freeze, wrap pies in a double layer of plastic wrap. Cover with layer of aluminum foil.

Don't neglect toppings, such as hot fudge sauce and whipped cream.

STRAWBERRY-HEATH BAR ICE CREAM PIE (Yield: 8 servings.)

1 pint strawberry ice cream, softened (but not melted)

1 (9-inch) prepared graham cracker crust

1 cup toffee bits*

1 cup heavy whipping cream, chilled

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Chocolate sauce and fresh strawberries (optional garnish)

Spread half of softened ice cream across bottom of prepared crust (drop it in small, flat portions). Smooth top with rubber spatula.

Sprinkle 1/2 cup toffee bits evenly over top of pie. Add another layer of ice cream; smooth with rubber spatula. Top with remaining toffee bits. Place in freezer while preparing whipped cream topping.

Combine whipping cream, powdered sugar and extract in large bowl. Using electric mixer, beat until cream holds soft peaks. Remove pie from freezer and top with whipped cream; spread evenly over pie.

Cover top with plastic wrap and freeze until frozen, at least 3 hours or up to one or two weeks. If desired, after pie is frozen, also wrap in aluminum foil. Soften pie before cutting and serving.

* Some supermarkets don't have toffee bits. To make them, buy several Heath candy bars. Place in large, heavy-duty, self-closing plastic bag and pound with mallet until crumbled.

Nutrition information per slice, not including optional garnishes: Calories 459 (57 percent from fat); fat 28.9 g (sat 15.9 g, mono 9.8 g, poly 1.9 g); protein 3 g; carbohydrates 48 g; fiber .72 g; cholesterol 85 mg; sodium 221 mg; calcium 71 mg.

Source: Adapted from "Icebox Pies" by Lauren Chattman (Harvard Common Press, $16.95)

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