Summer is the time for ice cream, but sometimes you just get fed up with the old standards—scoops of ice cream and popsicles so let’s make things a little bit more fun…
1. Ice Cream and French Fries
If you have ever heard of the delicacy of French fries and milk shakes, then this twist on that classic treat is a perfect choice. The combination of the salt in the French fries with a delicious scoop of hard or soft serve vanilla or chocolate ice cream makes for a perfect creamy combination, kind of like the way alioli provides a more savory creamy texture when eaten with fries.
2. Ice Cream Cocktails
Cocktails made with ice cream sound kind of like spiked milk shakes, but it turns out that the ice cream cocktail is a genre all to its own. Found in various niche localities around the world, ice cream is used to increase the impact of creaminess to classic drinks such as the Minty Grasshopper, which is just crème de menthe, cacao, and vanilla ice cream. Other places make their own ice cream specific cocktails, like The Greenwood Supper Club in Fish Creek in Wisconsin that prepares the originally titled Pink Squirrel, which is ice cream, cacao, and crème de noya. Definitely a much more exciting twist on dessert!
3. Ice Cream…and Ramen?
We’ve always thought of ramen as a savory dish, but it turns out that the combination of regular ramen with sweet ingredients like cocoa, coffee, and most interestingly, ice cream, is an actual trend. Prepared with soy sauce soaked ramen, a boiled egg, and a halved soft serve vanilla cone, ice cream ramen is a completely different experience. This dish is not for the less-adventurous eaters, but I would take the opportunity to try something that has the potential to be so surprisingly delicious!
4. Ice Cream Spaghetti
In Germany, if you ask for spaghetti marinara, you may not actually be asking for the dinner dish, but rather for an original ice cream concoction made from vanilla ice cream passed through a spaghetti maker and topped with strawberry sauce. Take care when trying this, as the visual experience contrasted with the taste may throw you off!
5. Ice Cream and Hot Chocolate
This one is simpler than the other examples, but it is so delicious that it must be mentioned. All you need is a cup of hot chocolate and some vanilla (or maybe butter pecan or dulce de leche) flavored ice cream. After making the cocoa, top it off with your ice cream of choice, and watch it melt into the liquid goodness, making a sweetened and flavored hot chocolate with a thick and delicious foam topping.
