It may not officially be summer, but it’s definitely sundae season. While the temperatures have been on the rise, pastry chefs have been busy perfecting their recipes for sweet temptations of all stripes and styles. From fruit compote to bits of cake, Carvel-style crunchies to spice-infused meringues, here’s the scoop on five summer sundaes you won’t want to miss:
(Zandy Mangold)
(Zandy Mangold)
(Zandy Mangold)
(Zandy Mangold)
SALTY SWEETNESS
The sweets world has been on a salted caramel kick, and Nicholas Morgenstern, principal and chef of Goat Town, brings together a trifecta of gooey goodness for his restaurant’s Knickerbocker Sundae ($9). The grand dessert, ordered at least 25 times a night, combines three scoops of salted-caramel ice cream, chewy bite-size bits of caramel cake and thick caramel sauce — all made from scratch in-house. Mini pretzels sprinkled on top add a salty crunch to the smooth treat. Goat Town, 511 E. Fifth St.; 212-687-3641
COOL AND DREAMY
Just looking at the strips of pink and orange that slice through the thick white Rhubarb Cheesecake Sundae ($9) at Cookshop evokes summer. “It’s one of the headliners,” says the Americana restaurant’s chef de cuisine, Andrew Corrigan, of the dessert, of which upward of 30 are sold a night. The sundae is served in a tall parfait glass, meaning you have to dig through the layer of fresh whipped cream to get to the sweet-tart rhubarb compote, followed by uber-creamy cheesecake ice cream. Along the way, you’ll pass through a crunchy graham-cracker crumble and finally, after more ice cream, reach a pool of orange-kissed caramel sauce. Cookshop, 156 10th Ave.; 212-924-4440
DELECTABLE DIY
Ever since the General opened in January, pastry chef Thiago Silva has had visions of guests spooning up sundaes in the open-air front of the sprawling restaurant. Now that the season is here, he’s not holding back. His DIY Sundae ($18) is a four-tier tower of fixings for two, which, among other things, includes peanut butter Oreo-brownie bits, coconut-almond biscotti, cake crunchies reminiscent of Carvel’s, his own blend of caramelized street nuts and a spicy cherry compote on top. These are meant to be doled atop scoops of homemade Tahitian vanilla and chocolate ice creams, drizzled with sweet miso-caramel and chocolate sauces and finished off with whipped cream and rainbow sprinkles. It’s quite the production, but the chef’s only instructions are: “Make sure you have fun with it.” The General, 199 Bowery; 212-271-7101
FLAVORS OF FRANCE
Inspiration for the Meyer Lemon Pistachio Sundae ($9), a “clean and cool combo” by DBGB pastry chef Mymi Eberhardt, came from the South of France, where such flavors are popular. The sundae’s composition is a study of contrasts, with the creamy pistachio ice cream playing off the tart lemon sorbet, both of which are complemented by other Provençal accents like spongy petit madeleines and crunchy thyme-infused meringues. A crown of fluffy whipped cream unifies the dish, which is scooped out about 80 times a week. DBGB, 299 Bowery; 212-933-5300
NUTS ABOUT CARROT CAKE
Imagine an over-the-top carrot cake a la mode, and you have Hearth’s sinfully savory Carrot Cake Sundae ($11). Although executive chef Marco Canora introduced sundaes as a staple of the dessert menu last year, pastry chef Siobhan DeCarlo creates a new ice cream flavor every season. The current incarnation, of which about 100 are sold a week, is subtle yet elegant. Beneath a modest dollop of whipped cream are small cubes of toasted carrot cake, which are baked with a savory cinnamon kick that cuts through cream cheese ice cream. It’s all drizzled with a caramel sauce that holds pecans in its thick grip. Hearth, 403 E. 12th St.; 646-602-1300