Instructions: Homemade ice cream is the ultimate creamy, cooling dessert for summer.

But with Ben & Jerrys, Haagen-Dazs, Umpqua, Tillamook and Dreyers churning the good stuff for you, whats the point, you ask?

Because making it is a grand food experience with an unbeatable outcome.

Because everyone should have the chance to lick an ice-cold dasher clean, to sample freshly churned ice cream still velvety soft straight from the canister.

Its a rite of passage.

For novel ideas of what to make, we turned to two experts who do cold, creative thinking for a living: pastry chefs Liz Smith and Carrie Cole. Smith shares her palate-soothing Oregon spearmint ice cream and Cole her combination nectarine-apricot, made from reconstituted dry fruit for a more dense, concentrated flavor.

Smith is former pastry chef, now dessert consultant, for Southpark Seafood Grill & Wine Bar, 901 S.W. Salmon St., Portland, Oregon. Shes also married to the restaurants executive chef, Paul Ornstein. Cole is pastry chef at Zinc Bistrot, open since June at 500 N.W. 21st Ave., the corner formerly occupied by Zefiro.

Although the 33-year-old from the Bay Area graduated in art history from the University of Oregon, she never worked in the field. After graduating from Western Culinary Institute, she debated whether to pursue spa food or pastries.

Fattening desserts won. Working at Sonoma Mission and Spa in Sonoma, Calif., taught her that sweets make people happy.

Smiths ice cream repertoire covers a spectrum of flavors, she says, from the

"simple, classic fresh strawberry to experiments with spices and herbs," like her star anise ("wonderful!"), Chinese five-spice

(cinnamon, cloves, star anise, fennel seed and Szechuan peppercorns) or bergamot

(the characteristic orange flavoring in Earl Grey tea). Bergamot, she notes,

"is such a sweet tea, mixed with cream; its such a nice balance."

Then there are sweet herb-scented varieties, such as lemon verbena, lemon thyme and a bright yellow honey saffron. "Its surprising how good they are," she notes.

A recent sample dessert menu from Southpark includes seven ice creams

(chocolate malt, fresh mint, lavender, lemon-ginger, pistachio, fresh strawberry and toasted almond) and three sorbets (coconut, apricot and mango-passionfruit)

all Smiths creations. This is in addition to a Strawberry-Fudge Ice Cream Sandwich, featuring fresh strawberry ice cream sandwiched between double chocolate fudge cookies. (Tip: Chocoholics not in the mood for ice cream should just order those cookies.)

Kids go for her malted chocolate ice cream - with chopped up Whoppers (the malt balls, not the burgers).

You can hear your hips moaning, listening to her talkin dirty like this.

Smith says tropical sorbets such as mango-passionfruit, coconut and lychee are her favorites because they turn out "very, very creamy." Last year she created a unique citrus, calamansi lime - a small exotic "sweet, sweet" lime from the Philippines.

Smith likes to pair an unusual ice cream with a scoop of something familiar - like chocolate - to increase the likelihood of diners ordering it.

On weekends, she says, Southpark may sell 200 servings of ice cream a day - three generous scoops adorned with a thin tuile cookie for $7. "I make them to share," she says. "Its much more romantic."

Once in a while an experiment bombs and never makes it to the menu. Such as a version with fennel seeds, which Smith thought wouldtaste of anise, but instead came out "too harsh - with almost a woody quality. It was very strange."

But she managed to turn a failed cream cheese icing into "a great ice cream," a flavor she calls bittersweet chocolate cheesecake. and if you have a mousse thats not panning out, Smith suggests using it as an ice cream base, too.

"I love to do sundaes," she adds. Smiths personal favorite?

"Probably malted vanilla bean," which she used in hazelnut sundaes with bananas that were caramelized with a propane torch. Or is it her espresso turtle sundae - bittersweet chocolate espresso ice cream with candied pecans, chocolate fudge cookies and caramel sauce?

"Thatll keep you on a caffeine high for a week. Its best to have one of those in the morning for that reason," she muses. "I could throw one in a blender and make it into a shake, so you could have it on the way to work."

But dont stop by Southpark mornings hoping to find her there; a year and a half ago, she moved from being the restaurants full-time pastry chef to its dessert and special events consultant. During the day she works full time at Provvista Specialty Foods, a wholesale purveyor.

"I would love to open an ice cream shop someday thats my dream," she says. Not just retail, but also bulk for restaurants and caterers.

"Ive always wondered what youd have to sell with it to make a profit - like ice cream and cocktails," she says, chuckling.

Cole challenged

At Zinc Bistrot, pastry chef compatriot Carrie Cole faces a dessert challenge every night: To produce daily crepe specials with house-made ice cream.

Recently, the bistros chalkboard revealed the previous nights choice: a blueberry crepe with lemon mascarpone ice cream. Soon, the billing would be erased for the following nights special: sauteed apple crepes with hazelnut ice cream, dotted with dark chocolate and white chocolate chips. (The restaurant isnt open at lunch.)

"We try to keep the crepes du jour really fresh, really seasonal," she says.

Whats been hot? "Mixed berry crepes with strawberry ice cream," according to Zinc co-owner Susan Sarich. Or the nectarine-apricot combination that Cole shares a recipe for here, with brandied cherry-topped crepes.

Also orange crepes with mango ice cream. Baby banana crepes with dried currant ice cream, which tastes "like a rum raisin," she adds. Then there were apple, passionfruit, orange, and a takeoff on a Creamsicle bar - orange juice with plain yogurt, a flavor Cole says is "great with chocolate cake."

Even vegetables get their chance to shine. Beets natural sweetness produced a great flavor and color. But another stab at something more savory - carrot -

"wasnt that good."

Her focus is "doing a take on a classic" or simply doing "the best, not trying to overcreate no bells and whistles.

"We pick a flavor and see how strong, how pungent and perfect we can make it," Cole says.

"I find the summer overwhelming," the 29-year-old notes.

through September, "I cant keep up" with all the berries, plums, nectarines, apricots, peaches, etc. Then comes falls apples and pears.

Cole grew up in Tigard and graduated in history from Boston University,

"waitressing and bartending" through school. When a restaurant offered her a job as a pastry chef, she "jumped at the chance."

That led to a stint as pastry chef at the Esplanade Restaurant at the RiverPlace Hotel, and later, the job at the bistro.

"I love this space," she says. "Its always great to be part of something new, to be in the drivers seat."

In addition to Cole and Smiths two contributions, were scooping up two other ice cream varieties - a tropical-inspired coconut, plus coffee-toffee, for a combination of buzz and crunch.

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