Ice cream sundae

The coupes here run from 18 to 38 cl, and that difference is bigger than it sounds. A coupe of 20 to 25 cl holds two to three scoops of ice cream plus a swirl of whipped cream: the classic size for a dame blanche or a sorbet after dinner. From 28 cl you are in sundae territory, with room for four scoops, sauce, fruit and cream without anything going over the rim. The models of 32 to 38 cl are ice cream parlour size and usually too generous for home.

Then look at the shape of the bowl. A rounded, bulging coupe collects meltwater at the bottom and keeps the ice cream on top dry. A clean, straight bowl looks more modern but lets the scoops slump apart sooner. For a banana split or a tall sundae, a higher, narrower ice cream glass works better than a wide coupe. And mind the thickness of the rim: hospitality models have a reinforced rim, because a coupe with a metal spoon in it spends the whole evening rattling on a tray.

Chill the coupe before you scoop. A glass that has spent a quarter of an hour in the freezer certainly keeps three scoops in shape a few minutes longer, and the misted film on the bowl is half the picture. Shape the scoops round rather than flat, set them next to each other rather than on top of each other, and add the sauce at the table if you want to make a show of it.

There are cold drinks that belong in this glass too. A sgroppino is lemon sorbet with prosecco and vodka, whisked until it foams, and you pour that into the bowl rather than a flute. A mudslide goes through the blender with a scoop of vanilla ice cream in many bars and ends up in a coupe as well. For an affogato, put a scoop of vanilla in the coupe and pour the espresso over it at the table.

Ice cream, cream and chocolate sauce are the most troublesome combination for glassware. Fat from the cream clings to the wall and does not always rinse off on a short cycle, which makes a coupe go dull over time. So pre-rinse with warm water before the coupes go into the dishwasher, and use a cycle hot enough to release the fat.

Footed means vulnerable in one place: the join between bowl and stem. Place coupes in the basket so they do not touch each other, and do not stack them, even if they seem to fit. With pressed glass with relief, cream is also left behind in the grooves, and there a soft brush does more than a cloth. Let coupes drain upside down on a rack rather than on a tea towel.

If you serve more than ice cream alone, a broader shape page is more useful. The dessert glasses also include the verrines and the low bowls for tiramisu, mousse and trifle. For portions of a few bites, look at the amuse glasses. Searching by brand, the French pressed glass sits with La Rochère and the Italian hospitality glass with Bormioli Rocco. And if you want to serve coffee alongside in the same format, you will find it at the coffee glasses.