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Place the strawberries in a blender, add the cooled sugar syrup and a few drops of lemon juice, and purée until smooth. Pour the purée through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl. Take half of the pulp that was trapped in the sieve and add it to the strained purée. Discard the remainder of the pulp. Freeze the mixture in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s directions.

To make the rose geranium ice cream, combine the cream with half of the sugar and all the rose geranium leaves in a medium nonreactive saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil, remove it from the heat, and let it steep for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks with the remaining ½ cup sugar in a large bowl until smooth.

Bring the cream mixture back to a boil and temper the hot liquid into the yolks by adding it a ladle at a time while whisking vigorously. Strain the liquid through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, discard the geranium leaves, and return the strained liquid to the saucepan. Cook over very low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the liquid is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon. Refrigerate until it’s cold. Freeze the mixture in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s directions.

When you’re ready to make the shakes, chill six glasses in the freezer for about 15 minutes. Combine the cream and the sugar in a bowl, and whip until soft peaks form. (You want the cream to be a little bit runny.) Refrigerate until ready to use.

Put half of the strawberries, half of the rose geranium ice cream, and ½ cup of the milk in a blender and purée until smooth. Pour into three glasses and repeat to make three more shakes. Add a scoop of strawberry sorbet to each glass, and top with a dollop of whipped cream. Serve immediately, with a long straw and a spoon.

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Peppermint Ice Cream Sundae

This is Mike’s favorite combination of dessert flavors—he loves how the coolness of the peppermint offsets the chocolate’s richness. It’s easy to find spearmint in the supermarket, but hold out for peppermint. Cocoa nibs are tiny, unrefined pieces of roasted cocoa beans.

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INGREDIENTS

FOR THE PEPPERMINT ICE CREAM:

1 ¼ cups heavy cream

¾ cup whole milk

1 bunch peppermint, leaves only (about 1 cup)

2 tablespoons honey

½ cup sugar

6 egg yolks

FOR THE CHOCOLATE COOKIES:

2 tablespoons cocoa nibs

1 ½ cups powdered sugar

¼ cup Dutch-process cocoa powder

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

2 egg whites

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

Serves 4 to 6, with leftovers

Start with the peppermint ice cream: Combine the cream, milk, peppermint leaves, honey, and half of the sugar in a medium nonreactive saucepan, and bring to a boil. Remove it from the heat and let the mixture steep for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks with the remaining ¼ cup sugar in a large bowl until smooth.

Bring the cream mixture back to a boil and temper the hot liquid into the yolks by adding it one ladle at a time while whisking vigorously. Pour the liquid through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl, discard the leaves, and return the strained liquid to the saucepan. Cook over very low heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the liquid is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon. Refrigerate until it’s cold. Freeze the mixture in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s directions.

Meanwhile, make the chocolate cookies: Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 350ºF.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Grind the cocoa nibs in a mini food processor or coffee grinder until they have the consistency of coffee grounds; set aside. Sift the powdered sugar and cocoa powder together into a bowl, and add the salt. In an electric mixer fitted with the wire whisk attachment, whip the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Fold the powdered sugar mixture into the egg whites, then the vanilla, and finally the ground cocoa nibs. Using a pastry bag fitted with a plain decorating tip, pipe the batter