Dish: Sugar Cookie and Fresh Mint Ice Cream Sandwich Rolled in Wasabi Peas and Finished with White Chocolate Ganach
Restaurant: Eat Me Ice Cream
Thursdays 4-7 p.m. South Wedge Farmer’s Market, 100 Alexander St.
Saturdays 11-2 Rochester Public Market, Maker’s Lot, 135 Railroad Street
Sundays 9-1 Brighton Farmer’s Market, Brighton HS Parking Lot, 1150 Winton Rd. South
Proprietors: Amber Odhner and Catelyn Augustine
In the beginning there was Wolfgang Puck and his BBQ Chicken Pizza. Since then nearly all the comfort classics have been given the foodie treatment, with everything from burgers and donuts to poutine and mac and cheese amped up, dressed up, truffled and slathered and fried up in duck fat.
What a wonderful time to be alive.
Ice cream is the latest comfort food to be given the royal treatment, and it’s about time. And proprietors and procurers of Eat Me Ice Cream, Amber Odhner and Catelyn Augustine are merging not one, but two movements to create something very special here in Rochester. Organic, locally sourced, farm fresh ingredients are being combined in altogether new ways to give Rochester both a luxurious and slightly exotic foodie perspective on our favorite summertime treat, as well as something we didn’t have in any capacity before now – ice cream that is actually mixed, measured and made from start to finish right here in the Flower City. I stopped by the Brighton Farmer’s Market last Sunday to sample one of their most popular items – mint ice cream rolled in wasabi peas and white chocolate ganache and sandwiched between two freshly baked sugar cookies. The treat, which is also available in a (heavenly) vegan option made with coconut milk (with dark chocolate in place of white)(yes, I tried both; I take my work very seriously), is sufficient evidence that this really is about food culture and not just sensation. This is not about shock value; this is not trendiness for the sake of itself. This is darn good food. The peas add less spiciness and more crunch, rounding out the sweetness and adding texture and dimension, as do the sugar cookies, which hit all the right marks in a sugar cookie – crispy edges with chewiness and pull at the center, and that hint of burnt sugar flavor that makes them savory-sweet instead of cloying. The ice cream is made with fresh mint from Amber’s mother’s garden, a sweet, fresh flavor with a tang and aroma you can’t fake with an oil or extract. To me it is the taste of springtime. White chocolate ganache added another layer of creaminess, mellowing the boldness of the competing flavors and giving the sandwich a luxurious feel. In terms of quality and creativity this dish is in every way level with many of the main courses I’ve reviewed. It gave me a renewed appreciation for my great uncle, who always insisted on eating his dessert first. Steak, he said, you can wrap up and take to go. To that I say, Amen. And to Eat Me Ice Cream I say, well done, ladies. Well done.
-Allison Zimmer, A-List Contributor
