Brush Ice Cream With Oil and Vinegar. Just Do It
A few weeks ago, my boyfriend stole a piece of ice cream from me and screamed. “Did you salt it?” he asked, clearly upset. I nodded. “Maldon is a spray,” I said in a voice devoid of sympathy or empathy. This will teach him how to steal my treats! (This is not true.)
This person always accuses me of doing too much food, as if it wasn’t literally my job. (I don’t surf his job sites and tell him how to draw, so I don’t know why he is free to comment on my business!) “How good should something be?” he asks as I finish, blossom and correct until the very last moment. “Everything can always be better,” I tell him.
And adding Maldon salt to ice cream makes it better. It enhances flavor and creates contrast, just like in a salty dish, and softens the sweetness, allowing you to enjoy more ice cream. But that’s not the only “weird” ingredient that can be used to complete ice cream, oh no. There is also oil and vinegar.
Ice Cream Olive Oil Case
I’m not the first to do this. According to The Kitchn , the people at Big Gay Ice Cream have been using this step for quite some time now, and Salt & Straw has included olive oil ice cream on their menu, at least since I live in Portland.
High-quality olive oil is a luxury and it is completely indulgent to pour it over ice cream. You don’t need much — a light drizzle will do — but make sure you use a good product. (I went to the grocery store and bought the most expensive olive oil they had, and it worked great.) The combination of dairy dessert and pure fat might sound too heavy, but fancy olive oil will offer a sharp, piquant contrast and decadent mouthfeel. (Softer, cheaper oils contain fat but tasteless, which is not what you want.)
When it comes to flavor, keep it simple: Big Gay Ice Cream prefers plain vanilla, but chocolate will do too (the darker the better).
Try some acid
Oil and vinegar mix together like … well, they really don’t mix very well, but we think of them as a natural couple. I would not recommend pouring butter and vinegar on ice cream at the same time – this is not a salad! – but you should definitely alternate.
Unfortunately, you need to use very high quality balsamic; Unless you shop at a specialty grocery store, products in your local market probably won’t fit. Look for bottles labeled “Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale” with DOP stamp – that’s how you know you’re getting a good product. The vinegar should be thick and sweet, almost like syrup. Pour strawberry ice cream over them. Its godlike.
A more economical but equally tasty option is ume plum vinegar , which is not real vinegar but a byproduct of the umeboshi making process. It’s incredibly sour and salty, with some funky notes of fermented stone fruit that go well with the entire popsicles range (although I’m partial to adding it to strawberries and peaches).
If you end up with oil or vinegar (or neither), be sure to add a pinch of flaked salt. If people ask you, just look at them with dead eyes and tell them as little emotion as possible that “Maldon is a spray.” In the end, it’s true.