Have you ever had crumbs of bleu cheese as an ice cream topping? Well, I did last weekend at Copinette, an American cuisine restaurant in Midtown, New York City. The restaurant has a French influence and offers an array of desserts like the warm cookie skillet, affogato, and ricotta cheesecake but I spent my Saturday evening there to try Copinette’s Talentini, a dirty martini-inspired sundae.
The Talentini, which is only available this month, is comprised of two scoops of Talenti Madagascar Vanilla Bean Gelato. The two scoops are then topped with a drizzle of a gin-spiked dirty honey brine, bleu cheese crumble, and lemon zest. To really make the sundae a martini, three green olives on a toothpick are added on the side. There’s also a non-alcoholic option available upon request.
I will admit now that I’m not a martini girly, but as an ice cream lover who loves a cocktail (or two), I will never say no to a boozy ice cream. To me, I️ had no choice but to try this concoction.
How does the Talentini taste?
Surprisingly, not bad. First thoughts, the bleu cheese crumble scared me — it’s an acquired taste that I'm not very fond of. The pungent cheese crumble was creamy with a salty and sharp flavor that overpowered the creamy ice cream. After my third spoonful of the ice cream with cheese, I was picking out all the crumble pieces.
The star of this sundae is the gin-spiked dirty honey brine. The honey brine complemented the ice cream beautifully creating salty, creamy, and sweet goodness. Not to be dramatic, I need a couple of batches of the honey brine pronto.
I was expecting the Talenti Madagascar Vanilla Bean Gelato to also be mixed with some booze, but nope, the gin-spiked dirty honey brine is also the only alcohol that you’ll be tasting. This isn’t a bad thing though, I feel if there was more gin then there would be an overstimulation of flavors. (Plus, Copinette has a great selection of cocktails and wines to have with the "boozy" ice cream, I’d recommend the Eros Spritz — Prosecco, ramazzoti, and lime.)
The Talentini is only available until April 30 at Copinette, but if you don’t want to travel all the way to New York City, don’t worry you can still make this at home.
Here's how to make a Talentini at home.
Talenti posted the recipe on its website and it’s simple. All you’ll need is Talenti’s Madagascar Vanilla Bean Gelato, gin-spiked dirty honey brine, blue cheese crumble, lemon zest, and green olives.
Before assembling, make the gin-spiked dirty honey brine first. In a food processor, add a cup and a half of clover honey, an ounce and a half of olive brine, an ounce and a half of London dry gin, one teaspoon of flaky sea salt, and one teaspoon of olive oil. Blend all these ingredients until smooth.
Grab your martini glass, you can also use any bowl or glass, and add two scoops of Talenti’s Madagascar Vanilla Bean Gelato. Then drizzle the honey sauce and crumbled bleu cheese on top. Garnish your “martini” with lemon zest and olives.
I️f you're a bleu cheese lover or love a good dirty martini, trying the Talentini is a must for you.