How would you like to tuck into a dish of Earl Grey-infused duck, with a duck
yolk custard and a Cloudy Bay pinot sugar brulee? How about in a single
mouthful?
At N2 Extreme Gelato, that's what customers were being served
in scoops of gelato. ''It was a best seller. People were going crazy about it,
'' owner Min Chai said.
The Thai basil sorbet was a crowd favourite, Mr
Chai said, as was his cough syrup gelato with a real Chinese medicine called pei
pa ko.
''People loved it. It's weird, yes, but the flavours are quite
nice. ''
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As Sydney nears the end of winter, gelato
makers are serving up unusual and savoury flavours, taking advantage of spices
and herbs and the ability of desserts to carry flavours.
In the style of
British chef and scientific gastronomist Heston Blumenthal, the company also
uses liquid nitrogen to blast-freeze raw gelato mixtures to order,
The
shop, designed like a science lab filled with flasks and beakers, goes through
1500 litres of the substance each week. ''The gelato is creamier and smoother
using this technique, '' Mr Chai said. ''We have strict safety procedures and
there's been no accident. ''
While the unusual flavours have increased
sales, some have been flops. ''We had salt and pepper calamari gelato didn't do
well. I also had to chuck a whole batch of Japanese Kewpie mayo gelato because
that failed to pass. ''
At Gelato Messina, ''Sticken to my date'', a
butterscotch gelato smashed with sticky date pudding and caramel date spread,
has been a crowd magnet. Last week, the Messina kitchen team released ''Stuff
the turkey'', an apple and sage gelato with brioche and candied
walnut.
Head chef, Donato Toce, said the use of spices like clove, nutmeg
and cinnamon warmed the mouth. ''In winter, we do more with spices. Summer is
all about fresh fruit sorbets and cooling down. ''
At the Cow and the
Moon, owner John Crowl said he was inspired by the Indian restaurants close to
his shop to blend spices into his winter creations.
The turmeric and
cardamom gelato with crushed pistachio had elicited a surprising response from
customers, he said. ''I'm shocked by how popular that one is, because I admit
it's a strange combination. ''
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