What has pastry maestro Dominique Ansel been doing this summer? The man who bestowed the Cronut on the world has a new creation — an ice-cream sundae in a can — as part of a a collaboration with fashion designer Lisa Perry.
The “Pop It! Ice Cream Sundae in a Can” ($15) features root-beer and stracciatella ice creams, mascarpone semifreddo, macerated cherries, honey marshmallows and miniature cherry meringues, all packed in a chocolate-lined soup can with a pop art design. The whole thing is sealed and frozen.
“Dominique was a perfect match for this collaboration, as both of our brands celebrate art, pop culture and fun,” says Perry. “I’m super-excited for the delicious unveiling.”
But canning a sundae required some special culinary considerations.
“A regular sundae has a mix of textures because you’re assembling it to order, so some elements are frozen and some are not,” Ansel explains. “But when you build a sundae in a can, the trick is to think of things that, when frozen, maintain a distinctly different texture. The root-beer ice cream, for example, is a little firmer and creamier than the mascarpone semifreddo, which is airy like whipped cream. And I wanted to add in chewy toasted marshmallows and also some crunch from meringues to really liven up the texture. We also lined the inside of the can with chocolate just to keep everything from touching the can itself.”
The sundaes are available for one day only, on Saturday, Aug. 2, from a “Pop It!” ice cream truck in East Hampton. The truck will be stationed at the Lisa Perry East Hampton Store at 67 Main St. starting at noon, until supplies last.
Twenty percent of proceeds will go toward City Harvest, a charity that works to feed the city’s hungry by “rescuing” food from restaurants, grocers and farms.