The Scoop on New Ice Cream Flavors
by Linda Mensinga
Although the classics–chocolate, strawberry and butter pecan–will be favorites forever, chefs cannot resist tempting the tastebuds of their guests with fun flavors that boggle the mind a bit. Popcorn, brussel sprout, sticky bun or wood ice cream anyone? Florentino, a family run business in Orange County, California, makes it their mission to make the best tasting ice cream and have won numerous awards in competitions. Selling primarily to chefs in restaurants, clubs or hotels, their flavors are divine and inspire customers to create memorable desserts. They also custom make ice creams with recipes provided by the chef if desired or will create a flavor to the customer’s taste. Flavors range from the expected vanilla supreme and chocolate gelato to the more exotic honey poppy seed, spiced tomato basil or mango cilantro. While somewhat unusual, their names make culinary sense and read as ice creams deserving a large scoop. Some of the chefs featured here are chef/owners of their own restaurants who prepare food for lunch, dinner and dessert menus, while others create desserts full time. They are inspired by other chefs, their experiences and the ingredients.
Chef Gabbi Patrick
“Mango and coconut are staples in Mexican desserts,” Chef Gabbi Patrick said. Elements of her desserts include mango cilantro, chili pepper and sour cream blueberry sorbets as well as banana and vanilla bean gelato.
Chef Gabbi Patrick
Growing up in a restaurant family, she was already managing two of her parents’ restaurants at 17. In 2002 she opened her own catering company and 2006, Gabbi’s Mexican Kitchen in a pedestrian-friendly zone of Orange. No sign of recession here, instead her lunch and dinner menu of regional Mexican dishes usually require a wait for a table. Her next project is developing a mole ice cream with Florentino based on her special mole recipe. Chef Jordan Kahn Chef Kahn does not use the frequently heard chef phrase, “I’m passionate about food,” He doesn’t have to because his desserts are the far superior show to tell. His attention to details, culinary curiosity and presentations speak for themselves.
Pastry Chef Jordan Kahn
He is a self-described food geek who makes crazy desserts (his words) but Jordan Kahn, pastry chef extraordinaire of Michel Mina’s XIV on Sunset Blvd in Los Angeles, makes the most inventive and delicious desserts to be found anywhere. While each of his desserts contain 6 to 8 elements and are artistic and architectural wonders, mere mortals could replicate parts of them and be perfectly happy with the results. Recipes follow. Some also appeared in Culinary Trends, a trade publication for chefs. Chocolate covered Pavlova (Serves 1) 
A quick read of this recipe reveals professional pastry chefs have access to time saving short cuts and do not always make everything from scratch when they find a satisfactory commercial product. Swiss Chalet, www.scff.com, is available online and comparable ingredients are sold in many locations. 1 piece Pavlova (baked meringue) ( Swiss Chalet #90407 ) 2 ounces Vanilla bean ( Florentino ice cream #100 ) 4 ounces Dark Couverture ( Swiss Chalet #31102 Accra ) 0.5 ounce White Couverture ( Swiss Chalet #31139 Sao Palme ) 1 ounce Raspberry Topping ( Swiss Chalet #31313 ) 1 ounce Bourbon Royal Sauce ( Swiss Chalet #31351 ) 2 ounces mixed berries Mint leaf
Tres Leches Cake with banana gelato and strawberry peppered sorbet
Cut Pavlova in half and freeze again. Temper the white and dark chocolate. Soften the ice cream a little bit and get ready to cover the Pavlova with the dark chocolate. Spread the ice cream between the 2 Pavlova’s half’s, make like a sandwich and freeze them again. When sandwich is frozen, take it and start to cover it with the dark couverture. Make sure the chocolate is not too hot, otherwise ice cream will melt quickly. Do it two times and than freeze the covered Pavlova. Use white couverture to garnish the sandwich. Get plate ready and garnish with the berries and sauces. Exec Chef Thomas Bader Florentino Ice Cream Passion-pineapple Tres Leches Cake (Yields 14 individual cakes) Cake 3 cups sugar 3 cups flour 15 eggs, separated 1 cup milk 3 teaspoons baking powder 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla Milk syrup 2 cans evaporated milk 2 cans condensed milk 2 cups heavy cream 1 cup passion – pineapple fruit puree Frosting 2 cups heavy cream 1/2 teaspoon vanilla Garnish Sliced bananas, white chocolate shavings, seasonal berries Florentino banana gelato and strawberry peppered sorbet Preheat oven to 350°. Line pans with parchment paper. Beat 1 1/2 cups sugar and egg yolks until light and fluffy. Fold in milk, flour, baking powder and vanilla. Beat egg whites and 1 1/2 cups of sugar until firm. Fold whites into mixture gently. Pour batter into pans and bake until set, 40 to 50 minutes. Let cool. Pierce cake with fork and pour milk syrup on top until cake absorbs all the liquid. Whip cream for frosting with vanilla to soft peaks. Decorate with shavings, bananas, berries and whipped cream. Serve with banana gelato and strawberry peppered sorbet.
Chef Gabbi Patrick
Gabbi’s Mexican Kitchen
Orange, CA
THE LIVING FOREST COMPONENTS
Wood ice cream
Nutella custard
Coffee streusel
Bourbon toffee
Pistachio-cardamom sable
Green tea “vines”
Toast streusel
Herbs and flowers
Cocoa sable
The Living Forest
Wood ice cream
500 g apple wood chips
4 l milk T
oast the wood chips in a dry pot over medium high heat, until toasted and slightly smoking. Meanwhile, bring the milk to a scald in a large pot, and add the toasted, hot wood chips to the hot milk. Cover and infuse overnight in the refrigerator.
300g cream
3 L infused milk
700g sugar
15g salt
225g glucose
9g xanthan gum
450g yolks
200g butter, cubed and room temperature
100g milk powder
Place the sugar in a large pot, and cook to obtain a medium caramel. Deglaze with the cream, then add the infused milk, salt, and glucose and bring to a boil. Temper into the yolks. Fill a blender half way with this mixture, and begin to blend on high. Add the xanthan gum, and continue to blend for 1 minute. Pour this mixture into a clean, large bowl. Fill the blender again with the ice cream mixture without the xanthan gum, add the milk powder, and blend on high until all of the milk powder is dissolved. While the blender is still running, begin adding the butter a few pieces at a time until completely emulsified. Mix all of the ice cream base together until homogeneous. Strain through a fine chinois.
Nutella custard
1200g milk
1200g cream
1200g nutella
1 1/2 tsp genugel lc-4 carageenan
1 tsp salt
Blend together the carageenan and milk in the vita prep for 1 minute. Add the nutella to the milk mixture while the machine is running until smoothe. Transfer the mix to a medium pot along with the cream and salt. Bring to a full boil while stirring constantly. Deposit into glasses using a pastry funnel.
Coffee Streusel
1K Sugar
1K Almond Flour
600g Flour
240g Cocoa Powder
200g Decaf Coffee Grounds
60g Salt
800g Butter, melted and cooled
Mix all of the dry ingredients in a bowl. Add the melted butter. Incorporate by hand until well combined. Bake at 300° F, stirring occasionally until crispy and dried.
Bourbon Toffee
650g sugar
100g glucose
500g cream, hot
200g butter
2 tsp salt
1 tsp xanthan gum
150g bourbon
In a large pot, combine the sugar and glucose with enough water to make the sugar wet. Cover the pot with a metal bowl, and place over high heat.
Once the pot begins to steam, remove the bowl and bring the sugar to a medium amber caramel. Deglaze the caramel with half of the butter until incorporated.
Turn the heat off, the add the cream and mix until all of the sugar is dissolved.
Transfer the mix to the blender, and place on high. Add the xanthan gum, salt, and remainder of the butter, and blend for 1 minute. Strain.
Mix in the bourbon until well combined.
Pistachio-cardamom sable
400g sugar
600g butter, soft
3 ea egg yolks
2 tsp salt
2 tsp toasted cardamom, ground
500g sicilian pistachio flour
500g all purpose flour
In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar, salt, cardamom, and egg yolks until soft and airy. Add the pistachio flour and mix to combine. Add the flour and continue to mix until all of the dry is absorbed.
Roll out between 2 pieces of parchment and refigerate for 1 hour.
Bake at 300°F for 15-20 minutes or until firm, but not browned.
Allow to cool completely at room temperature.
Pass the sable through a tamis.
Green tea “vines”
White chocolate, tempered
Matcha green tea powder
Sift the green tea powder in a thick layer over a parchment-lined sheet pan. Place the tempered chocolate into a piping bag and begin to pipe thin strands onto the green tea powder. Sift another layer of the green tea powder on top while the chocolate is still liquid.
Toast streusel
1200g toasted pain de mie breadcrumbs
360g powdered sugar
440g butter, cubed and frozen
1 tbs salt
In a large bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, sugar and salt until well combined.
Split the mixture in half. place one half in the robot coupe along with half of the butter, and blend until the mixture resembles almond flour and there are no chunks of butter left. transfer to a large bowl.
Repeat this process with the other half of the butter and the dry mix, and add it to the large bowl.
Using your hands, mix well until the sable is homogeneous.
Spread out evenly onto two full-size sheetpans lined with parchment. Do not pack down.
Bake at 290°f until golden brown.
Pastry Chef Jordan Kahn
XIV
Los Angeles
