New Trend: Would You Try Squid Ink Ice Cream?

In recent years, traditional flavors of the beloved summer treat, ice cream, have been ringing their death knell. Of course, we still love various flavors of our favorite chocolate that are offered on the market, vanilla, hazelnut, pistachio, fruit, and the like. But in ice cream parlors around the world (including some here), even in some packaging of industrial ice creams, you can increasingly find very unusual, even bizarre combinations that may seem incompatible but work excellently. For example, can you imagine being a fan of bacon or toasted sesame seed ice cream? These are flavors that have been on all the last year’s and this year’s ice cream flavor charts. If you find yourself in front of a display case with unusual ice creams, discover the adventurer in you because you might be surprised by flavors like Swiss chard, beetroot, ginger, Earl Grey tea, white chocolate with cardamom, or whiskey with caramel. This trend was already ‘sensed’ last year by Iva Baković from Samobor, who prepares these unusual flavors from local ingredients and has become very busy and well-known under the name Medenko in the wider vicinity of Zagreb in a very short time since opening. Let’s hope that some ice cream parlors by the sea are also aware of the increasing demands of global and domestic tourists.

And foreign tourists are indeed spoiled as they have been offered the most unusual flavors and combinations for years. In the last couple of years, it has become very popular to create small sandwiches of cookies and ice cream or to serve salted caramel ice cream with pralines in a puff pastry ball. Resourceful pastry chefs make semi-soft cookies in larger ratios and package them like tortillas, but filled with ice cream in a ‘to-go’ form. How can you say no to a shake, or ice cream mixed into milk with pieces of apple pie and whipped cream? Various ice cream cakes?

Mind-Blowing

But imagination is infinite, so here’s an overview of supposedly very tasty, yet certainly shocking ice cream combinations that are popular around the world. What to say about ice cream with squid ink or that made from octopus and chicken wings, popular in Japan? Italians and Germans can enjoy ice creams made from various cheeses, served in the form of ground meat. A popular bacon ice cream is made by adding chopped crispy bacon marinated in maple syrup to an egg cream. For those with more extravagant tastes and wallets, a gourmet combination of ice cream of choice and white sturgeon caviar is offered.

Foie gras is a favorite French delicacy, from which top chef Phillippe Faur even creates ice cream, priced at no less than 100 euros. Crab meat in ice cream, you guessed it, is loved by the Japanese, while sweet potato ice cream is much more widespread. The name ‘Cold Sweat’ already hints at a possible main ingredient of a Mexican ice cream with jalapeño pepper. And even the famous Viagra has found its way into ice cream, which is a fruity mix of ginkgo biloba and guarana. Such an elegant approach to hedonism and enhanced performance is the invention of an Italian entrepreneur. Many will undoubtedly crave the sobering ice cream recently launched by a South Korean company this summer. Named Gyeondyo, which means ‘hold on’, it has a grapefruit flavor and contains juice from the oriental candy tree, a traditional Korean remedy for hangovers from the 17th century.

However, the most popular flavors this summer are acceptable to everyone, for example, at the top of the charts is fresh mint ice cream with chocolate chips, salted caramel, pumpkin…

Ice Cream or Gelato

In short, there is no reason to regret ice cream, except that, as with everything, moderation is the best policy. Ice cream is a healthy food, and today it comes in numerous forms, flavors, and packaging. The basic division is into dairy and cream ice creams (containing at least five percent fat) and frozen flavored and fruit desserts. Moreover, vegetarian (i.e., without animal-derived ingredients), vegan ice creams, and those with a protein base can now also be found in our market.

Many are confused about the difference between ice cream and gelato. Ice creams are made with fresh cream, real eggs, and natural flavors. They also have more air whipped into the mixture, which is a simultaneous mixing and freezing process. This is why you cannot make homemade ice cream without an ice cream maker, which costs between 350 and 2500 kuna. However, there are numerous recipes that yield excellent results with just a mixer, imagination, and of course, a freezer. More air means softer gelato. Gelato recipes usually include more egg yolks and milk, and less cream, thus also less fat.

Refreshing Sorbets

It is essential to mention sorbets, where everything is about the fruit. Without milk, cream, or eggs, they depend only on sugar, lemon juice, and fresh fruit. Elegantly simple and refreshing, they were a mandatory part of feasts for the English aristocracy during the Victorian era. The Italian version is more intense, has more fruit and less water, thus also less icy texture. There are also shakes, various fruit cups with ice cream, ice coffee, and ice cream pairs excellently with alcoholic beverages.

With a little imagination, you can surprise your guests with cold ice cream desserts, even if you don’t have an ice cream maker. It’s always good to have a box of vanilla ice cream in the freezer as it combines easily with other flavors. If you also have cookies in your pantry or have just baked some, place slightly softened ice cream on them, flatten a scoop between two cookies, wrap the sandwich in plastic wrap, and put it in the freezer for a few minutes. A simple summer treat. And with fresh fruit, nuts, chocolate, various toppings, and ice cream bases, you can always create memorable desserts.

And while creating real ice cream is a true pleasure, especially for imaginative connoisseurs, it does take time, here are a few very simple suggestions.

Banana Ice Cream

Take four or five ripe bananas. Peel them and place them in a plastic bag and freeze overnight (they can last like this for at least a week). Cut the bananas into thin slices so they don’t stick to the blades and put them in a blender. After 45-60 seconds, the bananas should be melted into a smooth, creamy, and frozen dessert. Don’t keep them in the blender too long as they may start to melt. You can eat them like this, with the addition of alcoholic flavors, fruit, cookies, chocolate, as bananas also work well as a base for other ice creams.

From that vegan ice cream base, you can also make Mint-Chip ice cream, just add a few drops of peppermint oil and a handful of dark chocolate chips to the banana base and blend for about 10 seconds. You can also mix in frozen cherries, add a bit of vanilla ice cream, and blend well.