M venpick masters the art of lychee ice cream

M venpick masters the art of lychee ice cream

EXOTIC NEW FLAVOUR: Asian Black Leaf Lychee & Rose ice cream.

The wait is over for M venpick Ice Cream lovers who have been anticipating the traditional 1 March release of the Super Premium Swiss brand s new season flavours.

From this week, three exotic new recipes - Asian Black Leaf Lychee & Rose, Provence Lavender Honey & Violet, and Yoghurt & Apricot will be available in the Cr ation and Harmony ranges, as well as two new summer Limited Editions, Apricot & Rosemary and Coconut & Lemongrass.

M venpick s expert Ma tre Glaciers , based at the brand s research centre near Lausanne in Switzerland, are responsible for inventing each new flavour.

C dric Delez and Jean Besson are part of the team of ice cream masterminds who apply Swiss standards of perfection to exceptional ingredients from around the globe.

C dric Delez said: As a Super Premium Brand, we have to go outside the norm. You can t find such ice cream combinations anywhere outside M venpick.

Our consumers expect something new and surprising every year. They are willing to take risks but they still expect the same M venpick Ice Cream quality.

Fresh fruit and flowers

In the Cr ation line, recognised by fans as the most daring of M venpick s five retail ranges, are two new flavours with a fruit and floral twist.

Asian Black Leaf Lychee & Rose is perhaps the most unusual. It blends lychee ice-cream with juicy fruit pieces, crystallised rose petals, and a delicate rose ripple sauce to create a surprising fresh taste.

C dric Delez explained why the flavour is so unique: It is a specific combination of fruit and flowers that you find on a lot of restaurant menus, or in preserves such as marmalade, but not in an ice cream. This is something very special.

Most lychee-based products have an artificial taste as they are made from concentrate. We only use puree, which really helps us to capture the freshness of the original fruit. Sometimes this can be a real challenge, but we never compromise.

The other new addition to the Cr ation range is Provence Lavender Honey & Violet, matching lavender honey from Southern France with crystallised violet petals and an orange blossom ripple sauce.

In the Harmony line, which combines frozen yoghurt, ice cream and sorbet to offer a great tasting dessert with only 4% fat, is the new Yoghurt & Apricot flavour.

It mixes frozen Swiss yoghurt with a velvety sorbet of Bergeron apricots, and delicate fresh fruit pieces.

All natural ingredients

Meanwhile, the new summer Limited Edition flavours are an aromatic Apricot & Rosemary sorbet, and a refreshing Coconut & Lemongrass ice cream.

Created for the 2011 Limited Edition theme fruit and herbs , as with all M venpick Ice Cream products they contain no artificial colours, flavourings or preservatives.

ICE CREAM MASTERMINDS: From left, Jean Besson, C dric Delez, Maylis Quessette and Frank Schmick.

Jean Besson, who developed both new recipes, revealed how the brand s all natural policy is reflected in the Apricot & Rosemary flavour.

He said: The combination of apricot and rosemary is fantastically fresh. Thanks to an unusually hot summer in the south of France last year, we were working with an exceptional crop of apricots.

The sweetness you can taste is absolutely typical of the fruit at its best, while the rosemary has a slightly bitter aroma that balances this perfectly.

C dric Delez continued: There is no limit to what you can do with ice cream. We have attempted all kinds of flavours, including beer, truffle, smoked salmon and even ham!

In the end, we are always thinking about what consumers are ready for. For example, five or six years ago, I think people would have been sceptical about the idea of herbs in ice cream, but now they are open to it.

This season s five new flavours will be available everywhere in Switzerland, and in a selection of other countries around the world. This excludes Provence Lavender Honey & Violet, which is exclusive to the Swiss store Manor.

Double Cr me & Meringue devotees

M venpick Ice Cream s Ma tre Glaciers go to great lengths, globally and locally, to source exactly the right ingredients for their distinct creations.

APRICOT & ROSEMARY: A refreshing flavour combining fruit and herbs.

For example in 2007, they worked with a tiny dairy supplier from a small village in the Gruy re region of Switzerland to create Double Cr me & Meringue flavour for the Limited Edition range.

Based on a traditional Swiss dessert - typically eaten with strawberries following a fondue, or after a day s skiing - it proved so popular in Switzerland that it sold out within weeks.

The M venpick Ice Cream office was soon inundated with messages from enthusiastic consumers, begging for the flavour to be brought back. To fans delight, the brand decided to permanently reinstate the flavour as part of the Classics range in 2009.

C dric Delez smiled and said: I am always proud of our work, especially when we create something that consumers feel passionate about. I am also very proud that we can work with small, family companies to make such fantastic tastes.

M venpick Ice Cream

Acquired by Nestl in 2003, M venpick Ice Cream has a worldwide reputation for gastronomic excellence.

Originally produced in the 1960s for fine-dining restaurants in Switzerland only, it is now sold in almost 40 countries around the world including Russia, Finland and Singapore.

The two other M venpick Ice Cream retail ranges are Classics and D lices de Fruit. Available all year round, the Classics range features long-established best-sellers such as Swiss Chocolate, Strawberry and Caramelita.

D lices de Fruit is a sorbet range including flavours such as Lemon & Lime, and Passion Fruit & Mango.

M venpick Ice Cream has also this week released a multipack of four 175ml cups in its Classics range, featuring Caramelita, Stracciatella, Swiss Chocolate, and Vanilla Dream, available exclusively in all Coop stores in Switzerland.

The brand s next set of new season flavours will be available on 1 October 2011.