CHILI CRISP SUNDAE WITH FISH SAUCE CARAMEL BRITTLE

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I first saw chili crisp on ice cream on a billboard advertisement for a Chongqing ice cream shop that depicted glistening bits of chili and oil dripping down a creamy white soft serve.

It was 2018, and I was preparing to launch my Sichuan Chili Crisp in the United States via Kickstarter. I poured a spoonful over some store-bought ice cream and gasped at how strange but fitting the combination was. It just worked. The sweet creaminess of ice cream against the savory, crunchy heat of chili crisp intuitively made sense, but the combination still had the power to shock and delight. Your mind will be blown. I’m here for drizzling it straight on a pint but if you want to make a more fancy dessert, this sundae featured in my cookbook The Book of Sichuan Chili Crisp is the move.

Serving size: 4 Servings

CHILI CRISP SUNDAE WITH FISH SAUCE CARAMEL BRITTLE

Ingredients

1 pint ice cream of your choice
¼ cup / 60ml Sichuan Chili Crisp
Fried peanuts or 4 pieces Fish Sauce Caramel Brittle (recipe follows)

Scoop the ice cream into individual bowls and top with the chill crisp and caramel brittle.

FISH SAUCE CARAMEL BRITTLE (Makes 2lb / 900g)

12 oz / 340g peanuts or nuts of choice, chopped
2 cups / 400g granulated sugar
1 Tbsp lemon juice
½ cup / 110g butter
2 Tbsp fish sauce
½ tsp baking soda
Flaky salt for sprinkling

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Lay the nuts in a single layer on the prepared pan and toast for about 10 minutes, until golden and fragrant. Set aside.

In a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the sugar, lemon juice, butter, and fish sauce. Stir to melt the butter and dissolve the sugar and simmer for about 20 minutes until a golden-brown caramel forms. When the temperature reaches 300°F / 150°C on an instant-read thermometer, stir in the baking soda.

Working quickly as the mixture will start to foam, stir in the nuts and dump the mixture back onto the prepared pan.

Spread it out evenly, sprinkle with the salt, and cool for 30 minutes until hardened.

Break the brittle into smaller pieces and store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.