Ice cream -- Japanese style

[Bigfoot]

I like yuzu miso and addition of yuzu, lime, mikan, orange or other fruits to miso might work very well in ice cream. 

OT, shinju -- what do you do with yuzu miso? I picked up a squeeze bottle of it last week and am contemplating...

Coincidentally, I also tasted some durian gelato yesterday in SF Chinatown -- it was on display with all the other gelatos, not separately. Very creamy, but still distinctively durian flavor.

Edited July 14, 2007 by Bigfoot (log)

[SuzySushi]

Coincidentally, I also tasted some durian gelato yesterday in SF Chinatown -- it was on display with all the other gelatos, not separately. Very creamy, but still distinctively durian flavor.

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Hmmmn.... maybe I just don't think the taste of durian is that distinctive! I've never eaten durian by itself, but durian cakes and candies I've tried don't have, to me, a distinctive flavor, either. Or maybe the durian is just so diluted that I can't taste it!

[insomniac]

curry icecream...Fiji

[Domestic Goddess]

Here in Korea:

sweet bean paste

corn

watermelon

peach

pear

[jumanggy]

Here in the Philippines (I'm sure Doddie's very familiar):

Cheese (with real cheese bits of course)

Sweet Corn

Ube (Purple yam/ Dioscorea alata)

Durian (I don't see this much anymore... Same with the Durian-bavarian cream filled donuts)

Langka (Jackfruit)

Atis (Custard apple - I may be just imagining this, but I'm pretty sure it was out there in groceries at one time)

Avocado

[JasonTrue]

Not ice cream, but I've usually used yuzu miso for tounyuu nabe (soy milk and tofu nabe). If it's a squeeze bottle, it was probably envisioned as a product for serving with something like slices of raw cucumbers.

I like yuzu miso and addition of yuzu, lime, mikan, orange or other fruits to miso might work very well in ice cream. 

OT, shinju -- what do you do with yuzu miso? I picked up a squeeze bottle of it last week and am contemplating...

Coincidentally, I also tasted some durian gelato yesterday in SF Chinatown -- it was on display with all the other gelatos, not separately. Very creamy, but still distinctively durian flavor.

←

[Bigfoot]

Not ice cream, but I've usually used yuzu miso for tounyuu nabe (soy milk and tofu nabe). If it's a squeeze bottle, it was probably envisioned as a product for serving with something like slices of raw cucumbers.

Yup, that's exactly what I have -- a squeeze bottle. I'll try it out with cucumbers -- thanks for the tip, Jason!

[Macarons&Mozart]

I've tried Corn ice cream at a restaurant, and it was SOOO GOOD! I made it at home with strained corn puree, and it was great. I just added a bunch of corn puree to a plain ice cream base.

Tulip sounds interesting. Sweet potato is nice...I've tried that, though not as good as corn. I've done Rose too...good stuff. Avocado is quite nice, as any Filipino will tell you. (My great Filipino neighbors gave me the idea for this one!) Persimmon ice cream is a common one at our home, because of our oversized persimmon tree in the backyard.

Pretty much any ice cream with meat or fish sounds kinda gross though...heh.

Another killer flavor is honey ice cream with crystallized ginger and black sesame seeds. Sometimes I grate a tiny bit of fresh ginger on top. It is fabulous. Kaffir lime leaf is awesome too...god...I love strange ice creams

[miladyinsanity]

Corn ice cream isn't bad, and purple yam (though I think it's more purple food coloring than anything else) and red bean are quite nice.

I'd try sweet potato ice cream. I think it'd be quite nice.

[nakedsushi]

In LA, there's a great ice cream shop called Scoops. The owner comes up with the most amazing tasting ice cream and usually has some odd combinations that somehow tastes good.

flavors I've tried:

- Wasabi & Chocolate - it tastes exactly as it sounds. It was pretty good, but the wasabi-burning sensation was a bit too intense, so I probably wouldn't have it again.

- Bacon caramel - this actually tastes good. It has the smokey flavor of bacon and complements the sweetness of caramel well.

A few weekends ago, they also had a foie gras and grilled onions flavor, but I found out the day after and I didn't get a chance to try it.

[JasonTrue]

When I made ube cream as a cream puff filling the color was surprisingly vivid, just from roasted ube, cream and sugar. However, I know that purple almost-flavorless powders purporting to be "ube flavor" are probably far more common in commercial products.

Tulip doesn't make sense to me as one of the reasons tulips achieved such popularity on Holland had to do with their rather unsensual lack of aroma.

Corn ice cream isn't bad, and purple yam (though I think it's more purple food coloring than anything else) and red bean are quite nice.

I'd try sweet potato ice cream. I think it'd be quite nice.

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[Pan]

Coincidentally, I also tasted some durian gelato yesterday in SF Chinatown -- it was on display with all the other gelatos, not separately. Very creamy, but still distinctively durian flavor.

←

Hmmmn.... maybe I just don't think the taste of durian is that distinctive! I've never eaten durian by itself, but durian cakes and candies I've tried don't have, to me, a distinctive flavor, either. Or maybe the durian is just so diluted that I can't taste it!

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I think either the taste is incredibly diluted or your palate isn't sensitive to it.

Try eating a fresh durian some time, particularly one recently off a tree. The taste is very rich and creamy, a bit like maple sugar plus cream with a strong garlic aftertaste. Not exactly a weak-tasting fruit!

[mishidy]

I made umeboshi frozen yogurt in my ice cream maker the other day. It was actually pretty good. If you use hachimitsu umeboshi it's not too salty. I just added the pulp of 2 umeboshi to equal parts plain yogurt and milk and added sugar until it was sweet enough and put it in the machine. I poured a little kuromitsu syrup over the top before eating it. YUM!

[JasonTrue]

The durian mooncakes I tried from a Malaysian company were not terribly intense, but the flavor was very distinct and pronounced. Not to mention complex, even with all the sugar and flour and fat obscuring it.

Briefly an Issaquah ice cream company (FarFar's Danish Ice Cream... not sure if they're still around) offered durian ice cream, but according to the newspaper article I spied about them, they always made sure that was the last one you sampled, because you wouldn't be able to taste anything else normally after that.

Coincidentally, I also tasted some durian gelato yesterday in SF Chinatown -- it was on display with all the other gelatos, not separately. Very creamy, but still distinctively durian flavor.

←

Hmmmn.... maybe I just don't think the taste of durian is that distinctive! I've never eaten durian by itself, but durian cakes and candies I've tried don't have, to me, a distinctive flavor, either. Or maybe the durian is just so diluted that I can't taste it!

←

I think either the taste is incredibly diluted or your palate isn't sensitive to it.

Try eating a fresh durian some time, particularly one recently off a tree. The taste is very rich and creamy, a bit like maple sugar plus cream with a strong garlic aftertaste. Not exactly a weak-tasting fruit!

←

[shinju]

I made umeboshi frozen yogurt in my ice cream maker the other day.  It was actually pretty good. If you use hachimitsu umeboshi it's not too salty.  I just added the pulp of 2 umeboshi to equal parts plain yogurt and milk and added sugar until it was sweet enough and put it in the machine. I poured a little kuromitsu syrup over the top before eating it. YUM!

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I grew up loving umeboshi and because my old friends in Tokyo know this I am always given tubs and tubs of umeboshi when returning from Japan. Because of that I'm also always looking for other uses of umeboshi and like you I've made umeboshi ice cream in the past. I did soak the umeboshi in water with several changes of water though.

[greenspot]

Ube and durian are some of my favourite flavours of Hong Kong ice-cream.

Local ice-cream in Okinawa - the goya flavour was quite tasty, not bitter at all.

[shinju]

I like yuzu miso and addition of yuzu, lime, mikan, orange or other fruits to miso might work very well in ice cream.  

OT, shinju -- what do you do with yuzu miso? I picked up a squeeze bottle of it last week and am contemplating...

Coincidentally, I also tasted some durian gelato yesterday in SF Chinatown -- it was on display with all the other gelatos, not separately. Very creamy, but still distinctively durian flavor.

←

I usually use yuzu miso as a dip for cucumber spears or incorporate it into sauces and dressings. Whenever I have some free time in Japan , I like to browse through this place in Kameido (yuzu miso is second from bottom):

http://www.sanomiso.co.jp/dearcargo/goodsl...tart=20&bc_id=1

[Ce'nedra]

Anyone tried any of these below?

Well the Japanese sure are creative!

Ice cream is a frozen dessert made from dairy products, such as cream (or substituted ingredients), combined with flavorings and sweeteners, such as sugar.

In the fifth century BC, ancient Greeks sold snow cones mixed with honey and fruit in the markets of Athens. Persians, having mastered the storage of ice, ate ice cream well into summer. Roman emperor Nero had ice brought from the mountains and combined with fruit toppings. Today’s ice treats likely originated with these early ice delicacies.

But at some point, the world of ice cream took a turn for the worse and gave us the following abominations:

The Japanese have long taken pride in their ability to adopt, adapt and improve on customs, practices and styles from other countries. Having succeeded globally with cars, electronics and even fashion, it was only natural that the Japanese turned their hand to trying to surpass the West with one of its favorite culinary delights - ice cream.

Fish Ice Cream:

Indian Curry Ice Cream:

Creme Cheese Ice Cream:

Genmai Ice Cream (unpolished rice):

Cherry Blossom Ice Cream:

Chili Pepper Ice Cream:

Cheese Risotto Ice Cream:

Char Grilled Seaweed Ice Cream:

Charcoal Ice Cream:

Herbal Remedy Ice Cream:

Hot Spring Water Ice Cream:

Miso Ramen Ice Cream:

Pearl Ice Cream:

Persimmon Ice Cream:

Pit Viper Ice Cream:

Potato Ice Cream:

Red Wine Ice Cream:

Rice Straw Ice Cream:

Salad Ice Cream:

Natural Salt Ice Cream:

Soy Sauce Ice Cream:

Spinach Ice Cream:

Squid Ink Ice Cream:

Tomato Ice Cream:

Tulip Ice Cream:

Goat Ice Cream:

Garlic Ice Cream:

Abalone Ice Cream:

Natural Viagra Ice Cream:

Squid ink soft-serve ice cream:

Sea salt and citrus soft-serve ice cream.

Aojiru Ice Cream:

Curdled Bean Ice Cream:

Deep Sea Water Ice Cream:

Dracula Cool Garlic Mint Ice Cream:

Hojicha Bitter Green Tea Ice Cream:

Lettuce And Potato Ice Cream:

Potato Liquor Ice Cream:

Chicken Ice Cream:

Shark Fin Noodle Ice Cream:

Silk Ice Cream:

Crab Ice Cream:

Raw Horseflesh Ice Cream:

Picture credits: here

Edited November 15, 2007 by Ce'nedra (log)

[divalasvegas]

Hey, wait a minute Ce'nedra, where the Hell is the natto ice cream!?

Are the really "intriguing" flavors (especially the pit viper and charcoal flavors) big sellers in Japan, catering to local tastes, or maybe more of a marketing ploy? For instance, here in the US we have a company called Jones that insists upon selling its Thanksgiving package of sodas which have included flavors like turkey and gravy, mashed potato, broccoli casserole, and *ick* smoked salmon paté. I would never purchase or drink any of those flavors, but people do buy them I suspect far more for their shock/entertainment value than the actual taste.

Also, as I recall, wasn't there a previous thread about this topic on eG?

[Peter Green]

I've gotta get busy and try and make some of these!

I wonder where I can find a pit viper around here?

(I do think the ice cream cone full of pasta is an odd counterpoint to this)

[Laksa]

Okay, I can see how some of those flavors might find a market - I've tried garlic ice cream - not as bad as it sounds.

But.... what's the deal with non-food flavorings in ice cream?

Silk ice cream? I'll pass - but will wait patiently for the easy-iron cotton-blend flavor.

Deep sea water sounds intriguing. I can totally understand why they went with that instead of shallow sea water. Finding crude oil on your ice-cream is probably where it stops being funny.

[Peter Green]

But.... what's the deal with non-food flavorings in ice cream? 

Silk ice cream?  I'll pass - but will wait patiently for the easy-iron cotton-blend flavor.

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I bet the "silk ice cream" may be beondaeggi, the larva, used in the flavouring.

I was wondering why they didn't have that in Korea!

[Nathan]

hmm...the use of savories and seafood is what I see as "unusual"...using olive oil, ricotta, corn, zucchini (my parents used to do this), etc. isn't that uncommon in the U.S.

red wine sorbet is a pretty standard treat (heck, I've made it)

[Ore]

Great list...

[Peter the eater]

What an array of flavours! The makers of the goat ice cream should be more specific - the milk, the head?

Have you tried many of these flavours Ce'nedra?

Speaking of ice cream in Japan . . . I have heard that Ben & Jerry's "chunky monkey" flopped in Japan because of the translation to "chunks of monkey". Could be true?