Various NYC restaurants and a food truck are adopting an upscale twist. Chefs are using shaved ice, a technique formed in Japan, but perfected in the Pacific, known as kakigori. “The ice is so razor thin that it absorbs the ingredients around it and takes on the texture of a freshly fallen snowflake just before it melts on the tip of your tongue,” Oceana pastry chef Jansen Chan's own description of Shaved Ice.
Telepan, 72 W. 69th St.; 212-580-4300
Strawberry Granita Parfait ($11)
Pastry chef Larissa Raphae starts by adding two layers of verbena cream topped with toasted shaved almonds and strawberries that convene between three beds of shaved-ice granita. “The smooth cream mixes well with the cold crunchy ice and chopped nuts,” she mentions. “Plus, we pour a shot of Prosecco over it, which makes it kind of fun."
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Oceana, 1221 Sixth Ave., at 49th St.;212-759-5941
Pastry Chef Jansen Chan serves an upscale version in a chilled glass so Nom Nom-ers can mix their own individual layers, since traditionally in Asia its pre-stirred. "Toffee sauce, tart raspberries, soft bananas, a smooth custard panacotta, whipped cream, sliced crunchy almonds and rum tapioca pearls all on a bed of shaved ice,” says Chan. “It’s all about mixing textures.”
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| Almond Shaved Ice ($9) |
Pulino’s Bar & Pizzeria, 282 Bowery; 212-226-1966
Keith McNally’s pastry chef Jane Tseng made a new Italian-inspired shaved-ice dessert. Almond milk puree is a base with a bit of anise, sugar and water. “I freeze that in an ice cube tray then run it through a grated (Shaved Ice) blender attachment,”. “It comes out looking like snow.” She adds syrup made from whole crushed cherries and aperol, which is cooked down and then layered over the shaved ice.
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| Watermelon Vodka Granite($9) |
Juliet Kitchen & Grill, 539 W. 21st St.; 212-929-2400
“Juliet is more of a nightclub vibe,” Mario Tolentino, executive chef and winner of this season’s “Chopped” on the Food Network describing the restaurant. “So I figured the best way to get guests to order our desserts was to put alcohol in them.” The concotion is made from pure watermelon juice, simple syrup and vodka. “We put it in a shallow pan and freeze it for five hours. We then scrape it, creating frozen layers, making snowflake-like shaved watermelon,”
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| Moscatel Snow Over Tri-Star Strawberries ($11). Boqueria Soho, 171 Spring St.; 212-343-4255 |
This Summer's other cooler came from owner Yann de Rochefort. His desire to create something “intense in flavor and refreshing for the 100-degree weather.”
Strawberries are placed at the bottom of a margarita glass topped with sparkling Moscatel granita. Sounds like a winner.
1 comment:
Oh man all of these sound soooo good right now
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