It isn't often that I indulge in ice cream. When I finish my meal, I prefer to linger over a good barley wine, port or whisky rather than a sweet treat of some sort, and only rarely is a dish so tempting that I will bring my sweet tooth out of the closet for a test drive. A recent dinner at Higgins Restaurant & Bar in Portland, Oregon, signalled just such an occasion.
The recommendation came from Phil Baxter, general manager of the Four Points Hotel at LAX, who had been dining at a different table. The facilitator was Warren Steenson, manager at Higgins, who responded to my questions about the dessert by bringing one to the bar space occupied by myself, Celebrator Beer News publisher Tom Dalldorf and fellow scribe Don Erickson. The dish was called the Chimney Sweep.
It's simple enough, really. All they do is take a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream, drizzle about half a shot of Laphroaig single malt Islay whisky over top and dust the creation with finely ground espresso coffee. The result, however, is anything but ordinary. Somehow the espresso manages to accentuate the smokiness of the whisky, producing a truly remarkable sauce for the sensuously rich ice cream. It's dessert, after-dinner drink and coffee all wrapped up in one senses-stunning package. Well worth the time and stomach space.
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