The yin and yang of sweet and salty, crunchy and smooth, hot and cold all come together and make pure perfection to the taste buds. There’s a moment of silence when the first bite enters the mouth. It sinks in that this is heaven on earth, and then the oohs, mmm’s, and wows come in rapid succession. All consciousness is wrapped up in every delicious bite. Conversation is halted as every sense is wholly engrossed in the experience.

Sweet and Salty Ice Cream Dessert.

It all began a couple of weeks ago. My husband and I moved into a house on the fourth of July weekend. It has been pure heaven moving from about a thousand square foot condo to a house. I miss being in The Pearl a little bit, but the benefits of the move (space!) are amazing. Having a garage, a deck, and room for guests to come and stay is just so nice:) Plus, we’re still only about 10 minutes away, when we get the urge to pop back to our old haunts.

Well, this new (bigger) kitchen has just inspired me to cook. Friday night I whipped up this Sweet and Salty Ice Cream Dessert. It was so good. So good. I made it again last night for a couple of dinner guests.

The flavor profile of my ice cream dessert comes down to two things: sweet and salty. Pick your ice cream flavor. Pick a cereal to compliment. Pick a sauce – caramel or chocolate are nice. And then it’s just a matter of putting it together…

I started by picking out my serving dishes though, to be honest:)

Having the serving dish decided on can influence how the dish is assembled and garnished. Because it is an ice cream dish, and I knew I would serve it scooped, I chose to go with a bowl so it wouldn’t slide around. But you can use a big bowl if you want a lot… or to dramatize the presentation. You can use a smaller bowl that a small serving will fill up. You could also use a square bowl/dish, which accentuates the roundness of the dessert…so many options.

Here is how you make it.

Sweet and Salty Ice Cream Dessert
About 3/4 c. Vanilla Almond Squares (Barbara’s)
About 1/2 tsp Sea salt
Breyer’s vanilla bean ice cream
Homemade caramel sauce – this takes it over the top

Pulse cereal in food processor into crumbs. Add sea salt. I used pink finishing salt. Taste the mixture. It should taste equally sweet and salty. If needed, adjust accordingly. Scoop ice cream into ball and roll in cereal mixture. Place in bowl.

Drizzle with fair amount of caramel sauce.

Repeat for desired servings.

Home Made Caramel Sauce
1 cube butter
3/4 c. brown sugar
About 1/4 c. vanilla bean ice cream
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Melt butter and brown sugar in saucepan. Let boil for about 2 minutes, until sugar is dissolved and sauce thickens. Add ice cream and vanilla. Stir until incorporated. Serve warm.

Note: if you have lactose intolerant guests (or maybe you are), simply substitute coconut ice-cream for the dairy version and omit the caramel sauce, or try making the caramel sauce with the coconut ice cream:) Garnish with fruit or piece of dark chocolate (very little dairy).

Enjoy this truly tantalizing dessert for any occasion. If serving this to guests, my recommendation is to be in the company of friends you don’t mind sharing a moment of silence with;)