Hold On To Summer With These Cool Ice Cream Products and Pairings
Pair your ice cream with olive oil, coffee and, best of all, wine.
Late summer's end of vacation and return to school or work is hard on most of us. Ice cream, however, goes down easy. Click through the gallery for some refreshingly unusual ways to serve up your scoops. And click here for our favorite Sonoma ice cream spots. (Photo: Nimble and Finn's)
SCOOP: Drop a scoop of ice cream into this whimsical glass dish and know that your dessert’s beauty is nearly rivaling its taste. These wonderfully lightweight glasses come in multiple patterns and are made from borosilicate glass, the same material used for test tubes and Pyrex. Add this demitasse spoon to complete the delicate gorgeousness of it all. $13 (dish) $6 (spoon), The Barlow Supply Co., 6770 McKinley St. #140, Sebastopol, 707-634-0333 (Photo: Anna Schneider)
WOW YOURSELF: Take this orange and rosemary olive oil (really), and drizzle just a bit over your vanilla ice cream. Top with a pinch of sea salt. Eat. Then ask why you’ve been waiting so long for this to happen to you. The orange gives a hint of classic “creamsicle,” and the olive oil and rosemary keep the taste on the savory side. Regular or lemon-infused olive oil pairs well, too. $10.99, Sonoma Market, 500 W Napa St # 550, Sonoma, 707-996-3411, sonomamarket.net
WINE, NOT? For a double chocolate ice cream, you can try a spoonful or two of Cabernet, like this one by Red Truck. The richness of the wine brings out the richness of the chocolate and adds just a touch of fruity boldness. It also works on vanilla. $10.99, Petaluma Market, 210 Western Ave, Petaluma,707-762-5464, petalumamarket.com
ICE CREAM IN YOUR COFFEE CUP: Make yourself an Italian affogato, which is a scoop of ice cream “drowned” in espresso. First, put a scoop of vanilla in a mug like this one, sporting the new logo of local favorite coffee purveyor since 1987, Petaluma Coffee & Tea Co. Complete with a chicken plus shipping and farming imagery, you can sip while showing your love for historic Petaluma. (See next slide for the next step) $8.95, 212 2nd St., Petaluma, 707-763-2727, petalumacoffee.com
BREW THE BEST: Next, employ your best coffee, like Petaluma Coffee’s Fair Trade Espresso Blend, a four-bean blend created to balance strength and achieve complexity. These beans are slow roasted in-house, on the sales floor, in fact. (See next slide for the grand finale.) $14.95, 212 2nd St., Petaluma, 707-763-2727, petalumacoffee.com
PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER: Pull a shot of espresso like a pro from your own machine like this sturdy espresso and cappuccino maker from Capresso. Pour the crema-rich shot over your ice cream and enjoy the goodness of Italian affogato. $299 (on sale), Hardisty’s, 1513 Farmers Lane, Santa Rosa, 707-867-0827, hardistys.com