Black Garlic Is A Powerhouse Ingredient For Ice Cream (Seriously)

If you had to venture a guess, how many of the most popular ice cream flavors in America include savory ingredients? While crowd favorites like mint chocolate chip, rocky road, and vanilla are equally delicious in their own right, most favored ice cream varieties are known for their sweet underlying tastes. However, if you're in the mood to try a new variation, black garlic is the ingredient you need.

For those who are unfamiliar, black garlic is the same vegetable you buy from the supermarket. But this variety has undergone an advanced aging process that transforms raw cloves into sticky, mildly flavored delicacies that can be used in a variety of creative ways. To produce black garlic, raw cloves are exposed to tepid heat over the course of three weeks, igniting the Maillard reaction. The alliums' proteins and sugar cause a chemical reaction that produces new and complex flavors.

Black garlic has a rich umami taste with hints of tamarind and caramel. Unlike raw garlic — which has a peppery bite — this variation is the perfect ingredient to pair with velvety cream. Since the flavor of black garlic is milder and more nuanced, this aged vegetable can provide your next batch of ice cream with some much-needed variety. Moreover, black garlic ice cream can complement your next main meal or serve as a delicious post-dinner confection.

While you might be used to fulfilling your sweet tooth with double chocolate or cookie dough ice cream, black garlic ice cream also serves as a complex dessert that imparts both sweet and savory flavors to each frosty bite. While you may be able to snag a pre-made pint at a specialty grocer near you, you can also try making your own at home.

To infuse homemade ice cream with black garlic you can either mash bulbs into a paste or use a microplane to create tiny flecks that can be evenly disbursed into your frozen dessert. Even though the flavor of black garlic is milder than its raw counterpart, be mindful and only add a little at a time. When immersed in foods like ice cream, black garlic's inherent flavor tends to become more prominent over time. 

When considering what ice cream flavors to pair with black garlic, choose neutral ingredients like vanilla and honey. You can also combine black garlic with chocolate and maple syrup. Beyond picking the best neutral flavor base, feel free to include extra ingredients to provide more contrast. Add chocolate chunks or sweetened shredded coconut to give your frozen treat an equal balance of sweet and savory goodness. Next to making one unique dessert, this soft and mild allium can also be used to make a more savory ice cream to complement everyday meals. 

Truth be told, black garlic ice cream doesn't always have to taste like an after-dinner treat. Whether you're making a rich frozen custard with eggs or a standard dessert infused with heavy cream and whole milk, black garlic ice cream made with less sugar can add a little something extra to a wide variety of salads and snacks.

Traditionally, black garlic has long been used in Asian-inspired dishes that contain ingredients such as dried chiles and soy sauce. Try adding a dollop of savory black garlic ice cream to cold sesame noodles with spicy peanut sauce. Alternatively, since black garlic also pairs exceptionally well with acid, transform this savory ice cream into a semi-frozen salad dressing and serve aside your favorite summertime dishes like zesty corn and cucumber salad or heirloom tomato salad. 

You can also upgrade standard fruit salad by adding dollops of black garlic ice cream and a tangy balsamic reduction. Feel free to exercise your culinary creativity and infuse black garlic ice cream into any meal that can use a bit of cold flavorful cream. More importantly, if you're looking to add an unconventional, complex ingredient to your next batch of sweet or savory ice cream, look no further than black garlic.