How To Make Fried Ice Cream

Fried ice cream sounds like something of a contradiction in terms - how can you take something that melts easily, fry it and yet keep it whole?

The answer is an interesting one and lies in 2 things:

Firstly, the ice cream that is used is frozen well below the standard temperature at which ice cream is kept so that when fried it doesn't melt.
Secondly, the ice cream is not directly fried but is housed in a coating which is fried.

In Mexico and the USA this coating is usually a crumb base - ie. the ice cream balls are rolled and coated in cookie/biscuit crumbs or cornflakes. The fried ice cream is then served with a dusting of sugar, cinammon and/or whipped cream.

In Asian cooking (primarily Chinese and Japanese) the coating is a type of batter (tempura) with a choice of flavorings such as vanilla, coconut or green tea.

Fried ice cream is becoming an increasingly popular dessert in many countries and is both a tasty and novel food to serve up for family or friends. This popularity is reflected in the fact that at least one major commercial ice cream manufacturer (Breyers) offers their own 'Fried Ice Cream' flavor. Of course it's not the real thing (ice cream that has been coated and fried) but they've clearly set out to emulate the flavor for those people who have tried real fried ice cream before.

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