On a recent trip to the middle east I stumbled upon a mysterious spice blend, and though I was unable to get a definitive answer on what exactly it was- I was incredibly inspired. I cannot recall if it was a color or a thought that came to mind first, but the only thought I remember in that moment was lemon/flower. The blend reminded me of tea: black tea with hints of flowers and the color inspiration of lemon with many many layers. Thus, lemon flower ice cream was born. I wanted to have various depths of floral and small hints of aromatics, all encompassed within tea. The inspiration was black tea, so to keep things interesting I used LAMILL white tea. Fruity, light and floral- it was a great base of flavor for the many layers of depth to come. Hibiscus, violet, meyer lemon, yuzu, star anise, vanilla, orange oil and lemon were to follow. All of these ingredients were cold steeped overnight to infuse into the white base.
The ice cream would then be used for a new sundae service at PABU. Lemon flower ice cream, yuzu white tea glee, frozen sake meringue, wafer-thin vanilla shortbread, black tapioca with fresh mango complete the dish. To me this is the perfect end to a japanese pub-like dinner; light and refreshing.
Thanks to the amazing Middle East for the inspiration…
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