Dessert is the grand finale of any meal. Whether it’s a classic banana pudding to top off a Southern barbecue, the complex, French pastry known as the St. Honoré cake after a plate of steak frites, or a simple chocolate chip cookie after a bowl of mac and cheese, this may be the most anticipated part of any dining experience. But not all desserts need to be time-consuming to make, set on fire (even if it is a mark of culinary showmanship), or whipped up with an avalanche of butter, sugar, and Crisco. Call it minimalist cooking or cucina povera, but a bowl of cherries on ice has Alton Brown embracing its beauty.
The “Good Eats” host dined at Casetta, a wine bar in New York City, and chronicled his adventure on Instagram, sharing that this chilled fruit was the “best dessert” he had come across in a long time. If your first reaction is one of skepticism, that’s okay, but once you try it, chances are you will be a believer.
Chilling fruit changes its taste – but not in a big, bold manner. Instead, the icy platform provides a temperature change that enhances the experience of your taste buds.
Other fruits to consider putting on ice
According to a Nature journal study, shared by Beverage Daily, ice cream is not sweet when it is frozen, but rather once it enters your mouth and starts to melt. So, while fruit on ice sounds pretty straightforward, there is an art to achieving the perfect bite. You don’t want it frozen, yet, it isn’t about just about being cold or you could serve them straight from the fridge.
To make cherries on ice, you want to start with a bowl of about half full of chipped ice and room-temperature cherries. Place your fruit on top of the ice and let it chill before serving. If it is a warm day and you are placing your fruit in a big bowl instead of individual servings, the ice will melt, creating a cool bath for the cherries. Simply replenish the ice as needed. The taste will be a little more intense and the bite should be firmer. It’s no wonder Alton Brown found this dessert so delicious.
You can ice other fruits as well. There are many types of cherries to choose from, but if you want something different, stone fruits like peaches, plums, and apricots taste lovely when slightly chilled. And don’t forget strawberries. This fruit loses sugar when it gets warmer, so serving it on ice helps to preserve its sweetness.
