The Sydney Morning Herald logo
Advertisement

Winter gelato is all about extremes

Esther Han
Esther Han

Unusual flavours: Nicole behind the counter at N2 Extreme Gelato.
Unusual flavours: Nicole behind the counter at N2 Extreme Gelato.Marco Del Grande

How would you like to tuck into a dish of Earl Grey-infused duck, with a duck yolk custard and a Cloudy Bay pinot sugar brulee? How about in a single mouthful?

At N2 Extreme Gelato, that's what customers were being served in scoops of gelato. ''It was a best seller. People were going crazy about it,'' owner Min Chai said.

The Thai basil sorbet was a crowd favourite, Mr Chai said, as was his cough syrup gelato with a real Chinese medicine called pei pa ko.

Advertisement

''People loved it. It's weird, yes, but the flavours are quite nice.''

As Sydney nears the end of winter, gelato makers are serving up unusual and savoury flavours, taking advantage of spices and herbs and the ability of desserts to carry flavours.

In the style of British chef and scientific gastronomist Heston Blumenthal, the company also uses liquid nitrogen to blast-freeze raw gelato mixtures to order.

The shop, designed like a science lab filled with flasks and beakers, goes through 1500 litres of the substance each week. ''The gelato is creamier and smoother using this technique,'' Mr Chai said. ''We have strict safety procedures and there's been no accident.''

While the unusual flavours have increased sales, some have been flops. ''We had salt and pepper calamari gelato didn't do well. I also had to chuck a whole batch of Japanese Kewpie mayo gelato because that failed to pass.''

Advertisement

At Gelato Messina , ''Sticken to my date'', a butterscotch gelato smashed with sticky date pudding and caramel date spread, has been a crowd magnet. Last week, the Messina kitchen team released ''Stuff the turkey'', an apple and sage gelato with brioche and candied walnut.

Head chef, Donato Toce, said the use of spices like clove, nutmeg and cinnamon warmed the mouth. ''In winter, we do more with spices. Summer is all about fresh fruit sorbets and cooling down.''

At the Cow and the Moon, owner John Crowl said he was inspired by the Indian restaurants close to his shop to blend spices into his winter creations.

The turmeric and cardamom gelato with crushed pistachio had elicited a surprising response from customers, he said. ''I'm shocked by how popular that one is, because I admit it's a strange combination.''

Where to go for winter gelato

Advertisement

Restaurant reviews, news and the hottest openings served to your inbox.

Sign up
Esther HanEsther Han is a homepage editor at The Sydney Morning Herald. She was the overnight homepage editor based in New York City, and previously covered state politics, health and consumer affairs.

From our partners

Advertisement
Advertisement