Fruit Elevates Store-Bought Vanilla Ice Cream, But This Extra Step Adds Serious Pizzazz

There's no doubt that there are many great topping candidates when it comes to elevating plain vanilla ice cream, many of which are great for varying occasions and suitable for different preferences. However, if you're looking for a bright, fruity topping rather than the more common hot fudge or caramel sauce, don't simply chop up some fresh fruits and add them to the ice cream. Instead, you should give cooking down the fruit a shot — especially if you plan on adding it to a store-bought carton of ice cream that you plan on keeping frozen.

There are many reasons why cooked fruit works so well in ice cream, but perhaps the biggest is that the process gives the fruit a stronger, more concentrated flavor and sweetness. Melissa Gaman, a well-tenured recipe developer, explained why the intense fruit flavors are needed in her penned Tasting Table article. "The low temperatures of cold foods impact our taste buds, which is why melted ice cream or room-temperature soda tastes much sweeter than when frozen or thoroughly chilled. To distribute big fruit flavors through vanilla ice cream, you need the fruit flavor to be strong and intense," Gaman wrote.

So, regardless of whether you choose to roast your fruits in the oven, poach them on the stove, or throw them on the grill, cooking down your fresh fruit can significantly improve how it tastes with your vanilla ice cream. However, it's important to note that you don't actually need to add hot or even warm fruits to your ice cream. Because the excess water is taken away from fruit when they're cooked, cooling them in the fridge or freezer won't strip them of their concentrated flavor. This is also why cooking fruit that you plan to add to a frozen carton of ice cream is so vital. "Texturally, water is the enemy in ice cream, as water freezes into ice, and fresh fruit is mostly water. If you freeze raw fruit, the water inside the fruit freezes, causing it to taste bland and have a hard, unappealing texture," recipe developer Melissa Gaman warned.

As for actually integrating cooked fruit into your ice cream, while it won't be quite as easy as adding softer, more liquified forms of fruit like jam or preserves, you can still find a way to swirl it into the mix when the ice cream has an optimal texture. "Beat [the cooked fruit] into softened vanilla ice cream for a blended variety, or drop dollops into a bowl of softened ice cream and lightly mash it all together before refreezing until firm," Gaman advised.

The Takeout and Tasting Table are both owned and operated by Static Media.