REFRESH WITH ZEST
Photography Courtesy Chaeban , Fête , Finley Photography ( Eva ’ s Gelato ), Black Market Provisions , Pop Cart , Makena Hughes
COMBOS WORTH THEIR SALT
Have you ever salted your ice cream ? Though not as common as rainbow sprinkles or chocolate drizzle , a dusting of salt makes ice cream both creamier and sweeter . Sea salt , peanut butter , even soy sauce and feta are favoured by creative ice cream makers .
Peanut butter and chocolate demonstrate the irresistibility of sweet and salty combinations . Chaeban ’ s gourmet answer to Reese ’ s Pieces ( pictured left ) combines natural peanut butter with finely chopped peanuts and chocolate chips . Nutty flavour and pops of cocoa — both intensified by salt — hit the pleasure centre of the brain just right .
Another hallowed sweet-and-salty blend : salted caramel . In Fête ’ s salted caramel crunch ( above right ), gooey sauce swirls through sumptuous cream . To amp up the extravagance and add texture , saltine crackers dipped in rich caramel are crumbled into the mix . Finally , a sea salt topping boosts decadent layers of flavour with every spoonful .
There ’ s a reason summertime is associated with freshly squeezed lemonade or ice-cold mojitos : citrus fruits cool us off ! By aiding digestion , citrus allows our bodies to produce less heat , ideal for a day in the sun . For a truly refreshing treat , add acidity to ice cream . Sour ingredients like berries or rhubarb brighten a rich cream base with tantalising tang .
Made with milk instead of cream , gelato ’ s lower fat content enables a higher intensity of flavour . Nucci ’ s Gelati ’ s grapefruit gelato ( above ) replicates the delightful sensation of eating a segment of the zingy fruit with a generous sprinkling of sugar . Frozen pieces of pink pulp burst with extra-energizing zip .
Vanilla rhubarb ice cream from Decadence Chocolates ( below ) packs all the flavours of rhubarb pie à la mode into a single scoop . Swirls of the tart , tangy vegetable , picked from owner Helen ’ s garden , provide a potent pucker effectively tempered by sweet vanilla .
ciao ! / summer / two thousand twenty-one 25