By Michele
You can’t imagine the happiness that happened in my home when I found out Sunday, July 7th is National Strawberry Ice Cream Sundae Day! Though I enjoy ice cream, it doesn’t compare to how much my husband, Dave, loves ice cream. Every evening, he serves himself a bowl, sometimes plain or topped with a mountain of canned whipped cream and calls it a day! Throughout this past week, and to his delight, I created a few strawberry ice cream sundaes and asked Dave for opinions on flavor. Later, I will share with you the sundae that he is enjoying today.
During the process, I reminded my husband that if you eat plain ice cream without dipping your toes into the vast world of possible toppings, you’re missing out on a more delectable, sweet treat. He was intrigued and became a most willing test subject.
At the onset, I shared a fun ice cream sundae history fact: Legend has it that sundaes were created at a time when it was illegal to sell ice cream and flavored soda on Sunday in Evanston, Illinois during the late nineteenth century. To get around the law, shops started serving ice cream with syrup and called them ice cream Sundays.” At some point “Sunday” changed to “sundae” because of the religious connotation.
Some of the toppings used in the sundaes included macerated strawberries (some of which were macerated with mint), home-made whipped cream, chocolate-covered strawberries, maraschino cherries, toasted almond slivers and wet nuts. I shopped in three stores looking for wet nuts that I remembered were sold in a glass jar. No luck! I decided to make Martha Stewart’s recipe which was really simple. I've included her recipe at the end of this post.
Now, let’s get scooping!
First up, macerated strawberries with mint were added to the bottom of the glass. That was followed by strawberry sorbetto (a dairy-free, gluten-free and vegan alternative to gelato and ice cream), whipped cream, and some of the syrup from the macerated strawberries. It was topped with chocolate covered strawberries.
Opinion: Dave missed the real creaminess of ice cream, so the sorbetto wasn’t his favorite. He did thoroughly enjoy the chocolate-covered strawberries on top.
The second sundae involved alternating vanilla and strawberry gelato with macerated strawberries, whipped cream, and the syrup from macerated strawberries separating the layers of gelato. All was topped with toasted slivered almonds and a maraschino cherry.
Opinion: Dave was pleased that it was gelato (as opposed to sorbet), as the creamy richness hit the mark for him. He was a bit put off by the maraschino cherry.
Finally, a little nostalgia. Using an old-fashioned ice cream sundae glass, I filled it with sliced strawberries, strawberry ice cream and whipped cream and topped it all with macerated strawberry syrup. For a little fun, I sprinkled Fruit Loops cereal and wet nuts on top. Of course, it was crowned with a beautiful strawberry!
Opinion: This was by far Dave’s favorite! Of course, it had everything but the kitchen sink in it so to speak. He enjoyed all the various textures and sweet notes. He will enjoy this sundae this evening.
In case you’re wondering about my opinion, my favorite was the sundae with the sorbetto.
Wet Nuts by Martha Stewart:
Ingredients
· 1 cup walnut pieces
· ¼ cup pure maple syrup
· ¼ cup light corn syrup
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°F. Place walnut pieces in a baking pan in a single layer; toast until golden brown and fragrant, about 10 minutes
Remove walnuts from oven and set aside. Combine maple syrup, corn syrup, and walnuts in a bowl; stir until nuts are well coated.
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