Thai Tea Ice Cream Anyone?

Photo: tastypursuit.com

Thai tea is one of my most favorite drink and I could not get happier when I found out that Sky Ice, a small artisan ice cream store in Brooklyn has thai tea ice cream flavor. Sky Ice is a family business from Thailand with mission to bring their customers the freshest, highest quality dessert with health and mother earth in mind. The owner of this business, Sutheera Denprapa dan Kanlaya Chunjit are determined to introduce Thai flavors to the world, therefore don't be surprised with their other unusual ice cream flavor.

Aside from thai ice tea ice cream, they also have durian, black sesame seaweed, cucumber lime, green tea, mangosteen, veggie (yes veggie! It is made with brocoli, yam and avocado) and many more! They also have weekly special flavors. During the cherry blossom seasons, they even have sakura (cherry blossom) ice cream. Awesome right?

The price here is also affordable. Single scoop is $2.50, double scoop is $4.50 and triple scoop is $5.50. But if you want to sample many flavors, go for Sky Ice Palette to try 12 mini scoops of ice creams!

Sky Ice
63 Fifth Avenue
(Fifth Ave. Between St. Marks Ave. & Prospect Place)
Brooklyn, NY 11217

Pumpkin Ice Cream Recipe

Fall is here and it means.. it's time for pumpkin! While most of us make pumpkin to be made into pumpkin pie or puree, this video from Holiday Kitchen has this amazing video to make pumpkin ice cream! How amazing is that? Check out the video below to learn more!

Sweet Tour of New York City

New York is not only famous for the skyscraper buildings but also for its delicious foods especially dessert everywhere! And luckily for you who wants to visit New York, there is a new tour that specialized in visiting famous dessert place in the city.  It is called Sugartooth Tour!

Founded by Allyson Tolbert and Sarah Rolleston, this tour will guide you to the city's best bakery and other dessert place! Eat dessert like a local with this tour! Do not forget to visit famous ice cream stores in New York like Big Gay Ice Cream or Van Leeuwen! The tour is very intimate with no more than 16 people per group so you are surely going to have a very satisfying culinary experience of New York City.

Book your ticket here!

Eddie's Sweet Shop, The Authentic Forest Hills Ice Cream Parlor

Forest Hills is my favorite neighborhood in Queens. Everything seems much more "normal" and laid back there. You can feel the sense of tight community there. I just love it! Well, much to my delight, I just learned that in Forest Hills, there is this one authentic ice cream parlor that opened in 1909 and still preserve its old-time feel. It is called Eddie's Sweet Shop. 

Not only that their ice cream and whipped creams are handmade (like what old people used to make), the ambiance of the store is also very old fashioned. Once you enter, you will be greeted with mosaic tile floor and wooden swivel tools. You will feel like you are being transported back to the 1920s.

As for the ice cream, they are most famous for its banana splits ice cream with enormous amount of whipped cream put on top. I went there few days ago and ordered the Banana Royal Sundae. I picked 3 ice cream flavors; vanilla, butter pecan and mint chip. Let me tell you, the sundae was so good! The ice cream was very creamy and not overly sweet!! Love it love it love. If only their place was not so far from my place. 

But they also have other menus like sundae, floats, egg cream, milk shakes. This place is also great if you want to have "make your own sundae party". The package start at $300. Isn't it fun to have your birthday celebrated with many scoops of ice crea, hot fudge and chocolate sauce? Yumm!

Eddie's Sweet Shop
105-29 Metropolitan Avenue, Forest Hills, NY, 11375 (map)
718-520-8514

Bagel Ice Cream: Molecular Gastronomy Take on Ice Cream

If you think bagel ice cream is like macaron ice cream I wrote yesterday, you are dead wrong! Bagel ice cream is not bagel with ice cream as its filling. But this is BAGEL-FLAVORED ICE CREAM in a shape of bagel. Amazing right?? 

The creator of this whimsical creation is Chef Wylie Dufresne from molecular gastronomy restaurant, WD~50 in Lower East Side. FYI, Molecular gastronomy is the rising trend in culinary industry which chefs that combine both sensory and food science to transform flavors and presentations of their foods creation. To create these molecular gastronomy foods, the chefs use both science lab equipment and traditional cooking utensils.

Just like any other molecular gastronomy foods, the process of making this bagel ice cream is also rather complicated. According to an article in nymag.com, first WD~50 toasted everything bagels, crushed into pieces, soaked in hot milk and strained it to get bagel-flavored milk. Then they turned that milk into ice cream. That's why the bagel ice cream has the flavor of poppy seeds, sesame seeds and union in it. To make the ice cream looks like bagel, it is put in a savarin mold and later got airbrushed to get the toasted bagel look. For the presentation, the bagel ice cream is served with smoked salmon thread and crispy cream cheese (yup.. crispy cream cheese).

I have not been there, but after doing research for this article, I am so tempted to make reservation soon and try this bagel ice cream!

New Ice Cream Concept: Macaron Ice Cream Sandwich

Who loves macaron? Who loves ice cream? What happens if those two forces are combined? Macaron Ice Cream sandwich is the answer! Yes, this is the newest concept of ice cream in New York City.

In case, you don't know anything about macaron.. Macaron is sweet meringue-based confection that are sandwiched together with fillings. The outer shell is a little crispy but very moist and easy to melt inside the mouth. Meanwhile, the filling can be anything from strawberry jams, caramel or ganache. Sounds so yummy right?

This is the reason why macaron is very popular in Paris and has been gaining good reputation all over the world. There are growing number of stores that sell macaron in New York but Francois Payard Patisserie is taking it to the next level and create this macaron ice cream sandwich. So instead of putting fillings between the macarons, he subtitute it with ice cream! How yummy is that!

There are 4 flavors of macaron ice cream sandwich there:
1. Strawberry Shortcake
2. Chocolate Chocolate
3. Pistachio Raspberry
4. Coconut Mango
You can get them for $5 each! Grab one soon and let me know what you think!

More Ice Cream Trucks in New York City

Do you still remember my post about Mister Softee ice cream truck? Yes, Mister Softee is probably the most famous ice cream truck here but there are lots of other ice cream trucks in the city. Today, I am going to unfold the other trucks where you can get you ice cream fix from.

1. Coolhaus

Where? Lower East Side. They are often parked in around Bowery area. But check out their website here to know the exact location.
What is the menu? They have quite many flavors. From peanut butter to snickerdoodle! Not only that, they also have vegan ice cream and gluten free ice cream!

2. Joyride Truck

Where? Follow their twitter handle to find out! @joyridetruck
What is the menu? Froyo! Who doesn't love froyo huh?

3. Itizy

Where? Check out their website to know the locations
What is the menu? A lot! They even have ice cream pop with 5 flavors from cookies & cream to toasted coconuts!

4. Big Gay Ice Cream

Where? Union Sqaure (Broadway & 17th St.)
What is the menu? I would suggest to get the Bea Arthur. But they have other yummy flavors too! 

5. Sweetery NYC

Where? They are always on the move. Check their website and twitter to find out today's location!
What is the menu? They actually sell all kinds of dessert but rumour has it, their ice cream sandwhiches are awesome!

Goat Milk Ice Cream: Less Fat and More Minerals!

Most of ice cream base is made from milk cow. However, there is a growing trend right now to use goat milk nowadays. So what's with goat milk ice cream?

1. It has less fat than cow milk ice cream. It is mainly because it has less water so there is no need to put extra heavy cream into the mixture.
2. It has more calcium, potassium and magnesium than cow milk! Hmm extra benefits!
3. Lactose friendly! Do I  need to say more?

No wonder goat milk is on the rise right? Well, in New York City, you can get this goat milk ice cream at Victory Garden! According to the owner, Sophia Brittan, the goats they raise are free of probiotics and hormones! Hmm, more reason to try this ice cream right? To our delight, they also have extensive ice cream flavors from salted caramel, chocolate, Ethiopian coffee, and many more. Hm, now you just need to plan your visit to West Village to try this goat milk ice cream!

Ice Cream Classes in New York

Ever wonder what else you can do in weekend besides snuggling all day in you comfortable and fluffy bed? Being a New Yorker, we are so spoiled by so many classes in the city. So why not trying to take a ice cream class? There are many places where you can take the class, here is the list:

1. Mia Chef Gelateria

This sophisticated gelateria in Kips Bay neighborhood offers gelato making class almost everyday! Classes is around $120/person and you get to take home 4 pints of the gelato you made in class. Get your girl friends here and learn more about this italian dessert! Book your class here now!

2. The Brooklyn Kitchen

Spend 2 hours here to get the basic of making ice cream and get recipes that you can repeat at home. You will get free soda from the class so you can just put your just-made ice cream and voila! You get an ice cream float! However, check out their schedule first because ice cream making class is not available that often.

3. Brooklyn Brainery

Here, they will also teach you how to make ice cream without ice cream maker! Awesome huh? Not only that, they also have Ice Cream Club meeting where you can eat your ice cream with fellow enthusiast and appreciate the yummy concoction. Look out for upcoming class here!

Let's Celebrate Mid Autumn Festival with Ice Cream Mooncake!

2 days ago was Mid Autumn Festival that's celebrated by Chinese and Taiwanese people all over the world. But do you know what is Mid Autumn Festival? According to travelchinaguide.com,

Falling on the 15th day of the 8th month according to the Chinese lunar calendar, the Mid-Autumn Festival is the second grandest festival after the Spring Festival in China. It takes its name from the fact that it is always celebrated in the middle of the autumn season. The day is also known as the Moon Festival, as at that time of the year the moon is at its roundest and brightest.

People usually celebrate the occasion by dancing, eating and moon gazing. There is one particular menu they eat that day which is MOONCAKE!

This paragraph from NPR article by Mallory Yu may describe it best:

Mooncakes are about the size and heft of a hockey puck, with a thin crust. A dense rich filling of sweetened lotus seed paste envelops the yolk from a salted duck egg. The salty, crunchy yolk crumbles when cut and contrasts with the almost cloying sweetness around it. The yolk isn't my favorite part, so my mother gets most of what ends up in my portion. Mooncake fillings are almost always sweet and can be made with different nuts, seeds or beans.

However, nowadays people are getting more creative and people from Haagen Dasz launched this ice cream mooncake!

The base is praline with  mango sorbet “yolk” at the center. Small mooncake retails for $16.95. Go run to Haagen Dasz Chinatown now to get this unique ice cream cake!

Address: 77 Bayard St. (between Mulberry and Mott Sts.), (212) 571-1970. Haagen-dazs.com.

New York's Most Expensive Ice Cream Sundae

Do you think your usual ice cream sundae is not enough and want to try something extravagant? Then this ice cream sundae called "Grand Opulence" from Serendipity 3 is for you! With the price tag of $1,000, this sundae will surely satisfy your sweet and luxury craving. 

So what makes this sundae so expensive?

This is the description from Serendipity 3:

“5 scoops of the richest Tahitian vanilla bean ice cream infused with Madagascar vanilla and covered in 23K edible gold leaf, the sundae is drizzled with the world’s most expensive chocolate, Amedei Porceleana, and covered with chunks of rare Chuao chocolate, which is from cocoa beans harvested by the Caribbean Sea on Venezuela’s coast. The masterpiece is suffused with exotic candied fruits from Paris, gold dragets, truffles and Marzipan Cherries. It is topped with a tiny glass bowl of Grand Passion Caviar, an exclusive dessert caviar, made of salt-free American Golden caviar, known for its sparkling golden color. It’s sweetened and infused with fresh passion fruit, orange and Armagnac."

Very expensive ingredients right? The presentation of this sundae is also very posh. It is served in a baccarat Harcourt crystal goblet with an 18K gold spoon and topped with a gilded sugar flower by Ron Ben-Israel. Watch the video below to see how they make it. It's very fascinating!

How to order?

You have to order the sundae 48 hours in advance. Make sure to call ahead!

Have someone actually bought the sundae?

According to some sources I read, yes, there are people who bought this sundae. People like Crown Prince of Dubai, a 12 year old birthday boy and happy couples who just got engaged.

Chinatown Ice Cream Factory

If you like to try exotic Asian-esque flavored ice cream, then this is the place! Chinatown Ice Cream Factory has been around for decades in Chinatown and popular not only for its creamy and sweet ice cream but also for its unique flavors. They have won several awards like Citysearch WINNER for the Best Ice Cream in NYC, ZAGAT Award of Distinction. So I guess this place is really worth the visit!

What's in the menu?
Not only ice cream, but also ice cream cake and sorbet. For the ice cream flavor, try the exotic ones here! From durian, Chinese egg custard, ginger, pandan, red bean, taro and a lot more! Be experimental and dare to try the them all!

Address?
65 Bayard St (between Mott St & Elizabeth St), New York, NY 10013. Check out their website here.

Spaghetti Ice Cream, The New Breed of Ice Cream

What is it?

No it is not your usual spaghetti marinara. But it is spaghetti ice cream! Yes I am not kidding. It is an ice cream that is made to look like spaghetti. Amazing right? It was first invented in Germany in the 1960s and got popular worldwide. 

How to make it?

You would need steady hands and patience to make this spaghetti ice cream. I am sure it is not going to be esy but in case you want to try, you can make it by running your ice cream through a strainer or a potato ricer to get the desired texture. Once you get the spaghetti, you can top it off with various toppings like strawberry sauce! Nom nom nom. If you want to know more, read this article by Andrew Zimmer.

Where to get it?

If you are too lazy to make it yourself, you can find this spaghetti ice cream at Dolce Gelatteria in West Village, New York,

Mister Softee – The Most Famous Ice Cream Truck in New York

If you live in New York then I am sure you are familiar with this ice cream truck, Mister Softee! Mister Softee is ice cream truck franchisor that is hugely popular in the Northeast. However, you can find it in many states in the US. According to their website, they have more than 600 trucks and over 350 franchise dealers operating in 15 states plus China.

What's in their menu?

A LOT! They have soft serve, sundae, milk shake, banana split, ice cream sandwich and ice slush! Even for the soft serve, you can order everything from rainbow sprinkle, vanilla, chocolate dip,sherry dip and many more! Don't be overwhelmed by their menu though. You will always bump into them in New York City streets.

How to find them?
They usually park the truck in the same location everyday. You can check out this link to know where they usually are.

East Village, The Home of Ice Cream Stores in New York

Do you know that there are many ice cream stores in East Village area? Well, not only ice cream, they have many frozen dessert places in that area! In this blog post, I am going to list my most favorite ice cream stores in East Village!

1. Big Gay Ice Cream
If you ever wonder about the reasons for the name, well.. the co-founders of this popular ice cream place are both gay and rather big.. So, there you go! LOL. This place is famous for salty pimp ice cream which is a combination of vanilla ice cream infused with dulce de leche then dipped in melted chocolate and sprinkled with sea salt. However, I personally love Bea Arthur more. Bea Arthur is also vanilla ice cream infused with dulce de leche but sprinkled with crushed vanilla wafer. Nom nom nom!

2. Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream
I have just been here once but I heard only good things about them. This place is famous for its unusual flavor of ice cream. You can find everything from earl grey flavor to ginger! Sounds so interesting huh? But what's even more exciting is that they have vegan ice cream!

3. Momofuku Milk Bar
Who does not know momofuku? I think it has become some kind of a legend in New York now. Momofuku has several branches in the city but if you want to try the ice cream then you have to go to Momofuku Milk Bar in East Village. Come here and try their cereal milk soft serve!

4. Chikalicious Dessert Bar
Oh.. this dessert bar is to-die-for! They actually have many desserts to choose from but if you want ice cream then I would suggest to order "Michelle Obama". It is soft serve vanilla ice cream with hot fudge, caramel, pecan and a shot of cappuccino.

5. Davey's Ice Cream
This one is just opened few days ago so I have not heard anything about it. But I cannot wait to stop by and try their "Sweet corn and salty caramel"!

New York and Ice Cream

I have been living in New York for almost a year now and needless to say that until today I am still fascinated by difference lifestyle in New York and Indonesia. One interesting thing I find is that people here (maybe not only in New York but also in the entire US) love ice cream. Can anyone explain to me about this eating habit? Does it have something to do with the fact that the #1 ice cream in the US is from New York?

I can find food truck or store everywhere. What's more interesting is that there are so many types of ice cream here! You can find anything from soft serve, hard, gelato, many more! The flavors are also very vary. Once I had this salt-flavored ice cream. Who would have thought that salt and ice cream would make a very good match?

In Indonesia, we do not really consume ice cream that much. I do not know why but if I can assume, maybe it is because Indonesia's average disposable income is still relatively low and we do not really drink milk. However, it is starting to change since last year Magnum from Unilever launched a big campaign which glamorize the consumption of ice cream. People now start to eat more ice cream and there is even a  trend of hanging out in ice cream store. I guess the trend is not going to fade anytime soon.

As a big fan of ice cream, it has been my dream to have my own ice cream parlor in the future. Therefore, with this blog, I would love to write everything about ice cream in New York. I guess this is going to be good for my own research before opening up my own business back home.