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Ice Cream, Unsweetened

Posted by Lucy Baker, February 21, 2008 at 4:15 PM

Recently, I had a great meal at Salt in the West Village. Even better than my wild salmon and braised fennel entrée was my dessert: upside-down pear cake with a scoop of homemade rosemary ice cream. It was fragrant, herbaceous, and creamy, with only a slight hint of sugar.

Dishes that blur the line between sweet and savory are all the rage in New York right now, from Tailor's black olive clafoutis to P*ong’s stilton soufflé. Mario Batiali's Otto serves an olive oil gelato that is simply out of this world. It’s got me thinking: how long before savory ice cream flavors hit supermarket shelves?

Will chocolate be replaced by chipotle? Peppermint by pignoli?

While I doubt that sesame will ever supplant strawberry, I would love to see more savory flavors in stores. Roasted beet would be delicious, and just imagine the color! And how about carrot-walnut, black pepper, or plum tomato showered in fresh basil chiffonade?

So, what do you think? Let us know what savory ice cream flavors you've had, and what you would to try. Because when it comes to ice cream, the possibilities—like the toppings—are endless.

About the author: Lucy Baker is a graduate student in the writing program at Sarah Lawrence College. Before returning to school to pursue an MFA, she was an assistant cookbook editor at HarperCollins. She lives in Brooklyn and is currently obsessed with all things fennel.

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Tags: desserts, ice cream