Yes, You Can Eat An Entire Thanksgiving Meal In Ice Cream

My household first found Salt & Straw Ice Cream on a visit to Portland, Oregon not lengthy after they opened. We had been intrigued by their bizarre flavors that, miraculously, labored and have become a few of our all-time favorites. I’m you, Pear and Blue Cheese.

You possibly can instantly style the standard of their components and one of many issues we beloved about that first go to was that we ordered flights so we didn’t must choose only one taste.

A decade later, Salt & Straw has expanded to California, Washington and Florida and, fortunately for everybody, additionally ships nationally.

With Thanksgiving nearly right here, they’ve launched their Friendsgiving menu – which is principally a complete Thanksgiving meal recreated in ice cream. I may fortunately try this with each meal.

Though this has turn into an annual Salt & Straw custom – that is their ninth yr – they do change the flavors yearly.

Listed here are this yr’s Friendsgiving collection flavors:

1. Caramelized Turkey & Cranberry Sauce
2. Parker House Rolls w/Salted Buttercream
3. Sweet Potato Pie w/Double Baked Almond Streusel
4. Candied Walnut Cheesecake
5. Pumpkin & Gingersnap Pie (vegan though you’ll by no means guess it)

You already know the final three flavors will probably be scrumptious (and they’re) as a result of they’re all desserts however what in regards to the Parker Home Rolls? Nicely, it’s arduous to go flawed with easy and creamy and salty, and this might find yourself changing into a basic.

And I do know what you’re fascinated about turkey-flavored ice cream however simply keep in mind: Pear and Blue Cheese. They don’t actually use turkey in it however they do use turkey bacon together with their very own home made cranberry sauce and a buttery brittle. It’s received a candy/savory style form of like a maple bacon donut. It doesn’t style like turkey but it surely does style like Thanksgiving.

I used to be so intrigued by this Friendsgiving menu that I reached out to Tyler Malek, Salt & Straw’s Co-Founder and Head Ice Cream Maker, to be taught extra.

I like the entire thought of the Thanksgiving meal in ice cream. Inform us a bit in regards to the pondering behind it.

That is my favourite menu of the yr as a result of it has this energy of simply harnessing the inherent nostalgia and togetherness of the season. A few of my finest reminiscences rising up are when all my siblings received collectively, our mates came visiting, and we simply ate. My stepdad would warmth up dinner rolls with large slabs of butter, there have been a plethora of pies – apple, cheesecake, candy potato, and pumpkin – and all the pieces was simply easygoing. I needed to seize that in ice cream. We use that Thanksgiving nostalgia as an ingredient to move folks into a spot the place household, mates, and strangers can sit round a desk and revel in ice cream.

Are they solely offered as a group or can every taste be bought individually?

The complete Friendsgiving collection could be bought online for nationwide transport. Every particular person taste could be bought at any of our 25 retail locations or by means of native supply all through California, Oregon, Washington and Florida.  

How lengthy will these flavors be accessible?

The Friendsgiving collection will probably be accessible by means of the tip of November.

What’s been the response to date?

Individuals LOVE this menu! My favourite half is when somebody brings their good friend to the store, they stand behind them as their visitor gawks on the menu after which they are saying to their Scooper, “It’s their first time at Salt & Straw… present them what they’ve been lacking out on!”

How did you determine on these particular flavors? Have been there ones you needed to do this simply didn’t work as ice cream – e.g. gravy, inexperienced bean casserole?

You’re proper! Selecting solely 5 dishes to make from the Thanksgiving desk is close to not possible! Truthfully, over the past 10 years we’ve had a number of enjoyable reimagining our favourite Thanksgiving classics and have made some unbelievable recipes starting from Mashed Potatoes w/ White Chocolate Gravy (that one’s in our cookbook) to Peach and Sage Cornbread Stuffing. Truthfully, the one saving grace is that we get to come back again subsequent yr and put out a brand new menu of enjoyable creations.

Are you able to share a bit about the way you really create a few of these flavors in ice cream kind?

An important a part of recipe creation is agreeing on what we would like the tasting expertise to be. Thanksgiving turkey ice cream is the proper instance; in that one, I believe a properly crisped pores and skin and contemporary herbs is what makes a turkey really nice. To duplicate that texture and taste, we performed with a couple of iterations of turkey and landed on turkey bacon. it has a pleasing crispness and stable meaty taste. We fold that turkey bacon right into a butter brittle spiked with thyme, salt, and pepper and prime it off with a slather of cranberry sauce to present it a contact of acidity that cuts by means of the sweetness.

Have you ever completed different collection like this previously? Any that you simply’re engaged on for the long run?

We launch new menus on the primary Friday of each month. It’s turn into iconic at Salt & Straw to roll out flavors that inform necessary tales about non-profits, meals tendencies, and our favourite native components. A few of our favourite menus embody a partnership with nonprofits to speak about meals waste by means of ice cream flavors. For instance, we partnered with Scholastic books final summer season to create flavors that ignited artistic storytelling by native elementary college students, and, subsequent January, now we have a menu referred to as Vegandulgence the place we got down to show that vegan ice cream could be extra scrumptious than something you’ve ever eaten earlier than.

Which flavors are your hottest, normally?

Since we modify our flavors each month, this reply modifications on a regular basis! Proper now, I believe it’s a tie between the Pumpkin Gingersnap Pie and the Parker Home Rolls w/ Salted Buttercream. Subsequent month, I wager our seasonal taste, Almond Brittle w/ Salted Ganache, will win out. That taste being so standard is additional particular because it was impressed by our Grandmom.

If you wish to be invited again to Thanksgiving at another person’s home once more subsequent yr, think about bringing the Friendsgiving assortment as your contribution to the feast. I assure you everybody will probably be grateful and you can be added to everybody’s visitor lists.