The ice cream has debuted in a new avatar this season with different methods, exciting flavours and regional variants, finds out Akriti Narang
As children, we derived pleasure from making comparisons between the most banal things. Endless questions could vary from whether you prefer day or nightIJ Black or whiteIJ Summer or winterIJ Our answer for that final question would always be summer, for a reason. A multitude of ice creams was the clincher of a reason why summer made it to the top of the list.
But when you say ice creams and conjure up images of a popsicle or a cone which can be grabbed at the local ice cream vendor, think again. The world has moved way beyond and the simple dessert is all dolled up and sophisticated. A multitude of variations in a number of flavours is up for grabs.
The Metropolitan Hotel and Spa has created two genuinely fresh takes on ice-creams. Much like popular tradition, they have combined fruits with ice cream to give you the best of both worlds. The Grilled Kiwi with Fresh Fruit and Vanilla Ice Cream “is layered with richness of strawberry, kiwi and black grape. It consists of a handful of key nutrients like calcium, carbohydrates and fibre. Ice creams are also a dietary source of several important minerals. We have used brown sugar which adds iron to the dessert. Also, we have topped it with mint leaves which provide freshness to the palate,” says Rahis Khan, Executive Chef.
The Sandwich Banana Ice Cream, from the same hotel, has two different variants. The first is a simple banana ice cream where the banana mixture is placed in an airtight container and kept in the freezer for six hours until frozen solid. In the second variant, this ice cream is spread between two mini chocolate chip cookies, placed on a tray in the freezer for at least one and a half hours before being served. Chef Khan says, “This dessert is a combination of cookies, ice cream and cherries which provides a variety of health benefits. Cherries contain anti-carcinogenic compounds, which help in providing a sound sleep. They also have anti-oxidant properties. Combining them with ice cream and cookies gives it a crunchiness.”
No one can deny the undeniably strong attraction that Indians have for mangoes. While mangoes are savoured whole, as pickles and even pulped for a shake, nothing can beat the ice cream version of the king of fruits. The lalit puts mangoes to good use. Executive Pastry Chef Mahesh Chand Upreti says, “The lalit’s sinfully delicious ice creams are made from the freshest ingredients. We ‘serve what we grow and use organic products as much we can in all our preparations. Since ice cream is the go-to dessert for many, we decided to create them in six delectable flavours to enhance the dessert-experience for the guests! Mango being the favourite pick of the season, our mango ice cream is most popular and made from the freshest fruit picked from our own mango trees at The laliT Temple view Khajuraho and The laliT laxmi Vilas Palace Udaipur.”
But not just flavours, there are new techniques to create the summer favourite as well. The cold-stone ice cream technique is borrowed from America. The making itself is a pretty fascinating aspect. It is quite common to see customers admiring the preparation of cold-stone ice creams even before relishing their taste. The process is very rapid, with the chef making quick, sharp movements with the knife while he rolls, spreads and then assimilates the ice cream together into unique shapes. Each flavour, with its own streak of colour, paints the ice cream counter and contributes to the excitement you feel when you view your order on your plate. Chef Pankaj Jha, Executive Sous Chef from The Suryaa, describes his take on this popular dessert: “Cold stone ice cream, also known as stir fried ice cream, is a performance based style of cooking where the ingredients are cooked on a chilled stone/metallic slab at a temperature of -35 degree Celsius. The cooking technique involves pouring the ingredients you wish to have in your choice ice cream onto the slab along with milk. The mixture is then chopped and stirred while crystallizing until it gets creamy. At The Suryaa we encourage our guests to try their hand at preparing their own flavour of ice cream. This has become very popular at the hotel.”
Apart from cold-stone, you can also experience Teppanyaki or stir-fried ice cream too. This Asian dessert belongs to Thailand and is prepared in a slightly similar way to cold-stones. “It is made on a granite grill that is chilled to -35 degrees Celsius. A choice of ice cream mix is poured onto the cold grill and mixed with fruit, chocolate, coffee or other ingredients. The mixture is then chopped and stirred while crystallising, until it is creamy enough to serve,” adds Jha.
Ice creams have also been combined with traditional Indian recipes to ‘Indianise’ the dessert. A very genuine take on this is done by Dylan D’Souza, Beverage Manager at Vedge, multi-cuisine modern vegetarian restaurant. He has created a fusion of the South Indian falooda and ice cream, known as Mangalorean Gadbad. He says, "The inspiration for Mangalorean Gadbad came from South Indian region, specifically from Mangalore. People were well-versed with the royal falooda but they were not exposed to the South Indian falooda as it was a regional specialty. As the name suggests, it is a chaos and a play on many ingredients.”
So what are you waiting forIJ Now is the season to dig