Everyone loves ice cream, at any time of the year! Chocolate, strawberry, vanilla… fruit sorbets… or in daring combinations! We also love pairing them "in flagrante delicto" with various fruits to create delicious flavor combinations. And when winter settles in, we start to look for something even more voluptuous, seductive and enticing…

Given a little company, ice cream will immediately begin to tell stories: tales that take us on a journey without having to leave the fireside. Like Aladdin who rubbed his magic lamp to get three wishes, we only have to add a few pinches of spice to ice cream and fruit to make the miracle happen.

A pinch of cinnamon on a scoop of vanilla becomes the "open, sesame" that unlocks the door to the Orient; a touch of ginger on mango sorbet and all the flavors and colors of Asia blossom on our palate; a little star anise paired with chocolate and Africa is right around the corner.

Ice creams have a special love affair with spices, so to make the winter more exotic the recipe is simple: ice cream, fruit and spices. Any combinations are allowed, from the most unexpected to the most subtle.

All about spices…
Let's start with a little historical look at these delicate and highly-coveted products, long classified as luxury goods. The Latin word "species," transformed into "spices," referred in the Middle Ages to precious fragrant substances of vegetable origin from far-off lands, used in pharmacology and cooking. The word's exotic connotations are well-deserved since spices have a definite predilection for tropical climes.

Spices, however, are present on every continent, predominantly in Asia. For a long time the origin of spices was a secret jealously guarded by Arab traders anxious to protect their monopoly. Explorations by men such as Marco Polo and Christopher Columbus, as well as the establishment of important trading centers, brought an end to this situation and ensured wider distribution of these aromatic wonders.

Today spices are used to flavor foods, while also being attributed with curative and stimulant properties. Subtlety and balance are the key words when it comes to using each spice.

Spices bring a subtle and original touch to iced desserts, adding that extra little something for the winter season.

Did you know…?
To get the full flavor from your spices, you have to store them away from light and heat. It's also best to buy them in small amounts to prevent them from going stale.