As we started to develop this new and fun dessert, the initial concept was a Cucumber Pie with Frozen Bavarian Cream drizzled with Dark Chocolate and Chocolate Ants. We loved the chocolate ants and wanted to run with the concept. The cucumber pie was delicious but the Bavarian Cream was not complementing the pie like we had hoped. We gathered the team together for a powwow we surfed Pinterest and google asking the question, “What do you bring to a picnic?” Ice cream would be a fun addition but it would spill or melt at a picnic so the ants would therefore be attracted to it. Additionally the ice cream cone added a crunch that was previously missing from the dessert.
After the concept was decided upon, we had to finalize the details and presentation. We did not want to use chocolate ice cream because it would distract from the chocolate ants. We also thought that regular vanilla ice cream would be too messy and inconsistent for practical and design purposes. What we ultimately decided on is a vanilla bean mousse “ice cream.” To make it look and feel like a picnic we served it atop red and white checkered paper to give the allusion of a gingham picnic basket liner or blanket. We swapped out the serving plate for a wooden board to bring in an outdoor feel. After some trial and error, plus team effort, we finally came up with a brilliant, fun and tasty dessert that guests are loving.
Thanks to Erin Hession Photography for the beatiful food pictures from our tasting. To see more from our 2015 Tasting check out Erin's blog and IndyVisual's video.