How to turn any scoop of ice cream into a delectable Sundae using modern pantry ingredients

Hello, and welcome to Newsletter No 75 here on Substack! Thank you for stopping by. If you are already subscribed - THANK YOU! Seeing thousands of you read my newsletters each month means the world to me! And if you are not yet a subscriber, hit the link below if you are interested in recipes as well as tips and tricks to make the most of our modern pantries!

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Candid shot of parts of my pantry a few weeks ago. More chaotic than I would like but at least a treasure trove of flavour bombs!

I decided at the last minute that the newsletter originally scheduled for this week will have to wait until later this summer. Because temperatures have been hovering around 30 C where I live here in Brussels and that calls for an urgent intervention in the form of inappropriate amounts of ice cream! So instead I have furiously typed up the below guide to delectable ice cream Sundaes courtesy of our well-stocked modern pantries. Because as much as I can motivate myself to pop to the shops to buy more ice cream, that is where I also draw the line in this heat.

Also, I happen to have a bit of a soft spot for ice cream. And an even softer spot for ice cream with lots of mix-ins (or at least some fun toppings). As a child that meant hundreds and thousands on soft serve ice cream during frequent trips to the Netherlands. These days it often means peeking into my fridge and/or pantry to see what flavours bombs I have on hand that could easily transform whatever ice cream flavour happens to be in my freezer at any given moment into a delectable ice cream Sundae. So I know firsthand that our pantries can be veritable treasure troves of fun ice cream toppings for our next ice cream Sundae - you just need to know where to look (which I will show you!).

Because what is an icecream Sundae if not simply a scoop of ice cream, often vanilla, but not necessarily, with some fun toppings? Sure, whipped cream, chocolate sauce and a glacé cherry on top might be the traditional way to go but really that is just the jumping off point if you ask me. I have been known to sprinkle cacao nibs and pour maple syrup or homemade miso butterscotch sauce over vanilla ice cream or spoon honey mixed with toasted pine nuts and anise seed over fior di latte ice cream. And it occurred to me that anyone with a reasonably well stocked pantry can easily transform any scoop of ice cream into a delectable Sundae (and with no or minimal cooking / preparation!). 

So below you will find my guide to potential toppings for your next ice cream Sundae - all courtesy of your no doubt well-stocked pantry - think crunchy, creamy, saucy and beyond. And to round things off, for my paid subscribers there are lots of concrete ideas on delicious pairings for your next ice cream Sundae.

Homemade granola with Ras El Hanout, dried apricots and pistachios

All things crunchy

Nuts and seeds - ideally toasted and salted
Cacao nibs
Granola 
Chocolate chips 
Cookie crumbs
Breadcrumbs*
Oats*
Puffed grains*
Buckwheat groats*
Popcorn** 
Kataifi pastry, phyllo pastry** 
Corn nuts, crisps, tortilla chips, pretzels, crackers etc.

*Toasted in a dry pan with a little bit of butter and sugar and a pinch of salt until golden brown - e.g. 30g butter to 125g breadcrumbs/oats/puffed grains and 30g sugar 

**Mixed with butter and sugar and toasted in a hot oven until crisp and caramelized. 

Salted Tahini and Date Chocolate Hot Fudge Sauce

All things saucy

Balsamic vinegar
Honey
Maple syrup
Olive oil
Pumpkin seed oil
Toasted sesame seed oil
Soy sauce
The syrup from a jar of stem ginger
Pomegranate molasses, cherry molasses etc.
Hibiscus syrup
Salted Tahini and Date Chocolate Hot Fudge Sauce
Miso Butterscotch Sauce
Fig Leaf Oil
Mango pit syrup