I used to work under a chef in the US Virgin Islands, whom would make homemade Scotch Bonnet Ice Cream. Scotch Bonnets are a Caribbean variant of the Habanero, and as such are screamingly hot - but he used just a portion of a pepper for each batch. The effect was really interesting, the contrast of physical cold, creamy cooling richness of the ice cream, and the biting capsicum burn, but because it was balanced by the ice cream, it never went to the degree of being unpleasantly hot. The gorgeous floral and fruity flavors of the peppers came clearly through in a way that is really difficult to appreciate in other applications where the heat of the pepper is the prime flavor contributor.