Ice Cream Goes Global
Originally posted on CNTraveler.com
We’re back for seconds: Earlier this summer we showed you eight fascinating ice cream flavors from around the world. Now, we found six more scoops to drool over…
STRAWBERRIES AND CLOTTED CREAM AT KELLY’S OF CORNWALL
Cornwall, England
Since the 1300s, clotted cream has been the sweetheart ingredient of Cornwall, England’s westernmost county. Local farmers graze their cows on lush, emerald green pastureland to produce a dairy cream that has at least 55 percent butterfat, bestowing a velvety texture, soft butter consistency, and milky yellow color that has earned European Protected Designation of Origin status, meaning, essentially, that Cornish clotted cream is trademarked. The ingredient is delightful in ice cream, blending well with other flavors, such as blackcurrant, chocolate, or brandy butter. Try a scoop at Kelly’s of Cornwall, which has been making clotted cream ice cream sourced from local ingredients since the 1930s. Today Kelly’s has more than 40 scooping parlors spanning 30 Cornish towns (including the seaside village of St Ives, home to the Tate St Ives contemporary art gallery, if you want to do something besides eat). —Sean O’Neill
STROOPWAFEL ICE CREAM AT LANSKROON
Amsterdam
Stroopwafel—the Netherlands’ brittle honey waffles—are blended into ice cream at Lanskroon, a 125-year-old family bakery and coffee salon overlooking the Singel canal. Bakers rise at 5 a.m. to prepare the crunchy wafers, which give the invention its bite, not to mention its highly addictive quality. As a long-term devotee of the McDonald’s Stroopwafel McFlurry (which you will only find in the Netherlands), it pains me to say that the Lanskroon alternative tastes altogether more wholesome than Ronald’s attempt at cultural integration. Better luck next time, clown boy. —Mark Smith
TOFFEE ICE CREAM AT SNUGBURYS
Nantwich, United Kingdom
A quintessential Old Blighty treat is toffee, which is taffy that’s neither soft nor brittle—and therefore is a model of British moderation. Toffee-flavored ice cream is common at scooping parlors across the north of England, but the place to go for a brilliant take is Snugburys, a farm shop off the A51 outside Nantwich, an idyllic market town in the rolling Cheshire countryside. For its Toffee Crumble, Snugburys uses roasted crumbs from Irish soda bread coated with Lyle’s Golden Syrup (famously made in London since 1904) to achieve a light toffee taste. Co-founders of the shop, Chris and Cheryl Sadler, have been making ice cream with fresh dairy since 1986, expanding from their kitchen to a local factory. “The English climate isn’t always helpful for selling ice cream, but when the weather is in nice we do a massive business,” says Chris. Massive, incidentally, means 200,000 visitors a year. —Sean O’Neill
See Also: America’s Best Sandwiches
CUCUMBER AND ROSEWATER SORBET AT BLACK DOG GELATO
Chicago
Jessica Oloroso, a former pastry chef, first hit the foodie radar as a supplier of fancifully flavored ice creams to high-end Chicago restaurants. She opened the first of two her Black Dog Gelato outlets just three years ago—a city addicted to craft beers, artisanal donuts, and other creative comestibles quickly fell in love with the Goat Cheese Cashew Caramel ice cream and whiskey gelato bars dipped in milk chocolate and rolled in bacon. Now, in the heat tsunami of 2012, it’s Oloroso’s fresh fruit and, yes, vegetable, sorbets, that have become stars. Try the soothing cucumber and rosewater sorbet (pictured here) or the more punchy grapefruit mixed with pink peppercorn. —Susan Hack
CHILLED LAVENDAR CUSTARD AT DOMESTICO
Montevideo, Uruguay
Thanks to Uruguay’s Italian immigrants, gelato is a popular summer treat in Montevideo. But at Domestico, a new urban pantry that straddles the capital city’s Old Town and Center, chef/owner Florencia Curcio experiments outside the comfort zone of her native cuisine. Her chilled lavender custard is an example of her whimsy, fusing the Italian-Uruguayan tradition of semifreddo, or half-frozen dessert, with her personal signatures. The custard, infused with lavender, chamomile, smoked tea, and cedrón leaves, is kept frosty before it gets branded with an iron salamander shortly before serving. The result is a fragrant crème brûlée-like crust that gives way to a light, cool cream underneath: a perfect crescendo for a warm evening. —Chaney Kwak
SPECULOOS ICE CREAM AT ISCUPJE
Amsterdam
Iscupje’s speculoos ice cream flavor takes its name from the cinnamon-spiced Dutch cookies that are traditionally served in December. Full of crunchy crumbs and fireside spark, it’s somewhat seasonally disorientating—but in a very, very good way. Take note: You can only order this ice cream in the summer months, when Ijscupje is an ice cream parlor. When the weather’s cold, it becomes a sausage-and-mash, or stappot, stand. —Mark Smith
See also: Milkshakes With Booze!
More From Condé Nast Traveler:
The Friendliest (and Unfriendliest) Cities in America
The Best Desserts Around the World
Private Islands That Cost Less Than an NYC Apartment
Glass-Bottomed Attractions: 11 Spectacular (andTerrifying!) Views
