We’ve heard of some weird ice cream flavours in our time – chief flavour fiddler Heston Blumenthal’s salted caramel popcorn and bacon and egg being prime examples – but concocting a frozen desert from skirt steak or the triple taste sensation of manchego cheese, pineapple and thyme must surely take the cake. Chef Sam Mason came up with the former particular tastebud twister as a contestant on American TV show Iron Chef, so we’re intrigued, if more than a little trepidatious, to try the range of flavours (that include pairing chorizo with caramel and pistachio with goat’s cheese) at his new venture, OddFellows Ice Cream Co. in Brooklyn.
Sam, with friends and business partners Mohan and Holiday Kumar, has put together a very offbeat selection of recipes on sale at their Williamsburg outlet, which evolved from Sam’s answer to Holiday’s strange pregnancy cravings. Also selling candy floss and homemade sodas, the store has a nostalgic, kid-friendly feel which is as American as pumpkin pie – probably coming soon as an ice cream flavour. Toys and dolls perch on the shelves next to the Stars and Stripes, and the uniforms have an infectious retro charm. Think I’ll test out a couple of scoops of the tequila cream and pineapple, purely for research purposes you understand…
Beet Pistachio Honey Goat Cheese
and Manchego Pineapple Thyme
Photography, Liesl Henrichsen
