Brooks Headley's Ice Cream Sandwich

Recipe from Brooks Headley

Adapted by Jeff Gordinier

Brooks Headley's Ice Cream Sandwich
Mark Veltman for The New York Times
Total Time
10 minutes
Rating
4(133)
Notes
Read community notes

Wait a second. Brooks Headley, the pastry chef from Del Posto, is encouraging you to make an ice-cream sandwich with store-bought white bread and a tub of Ben & Jerry’s Cherry Garcia?

Indeed. And he’ll even make the cheeky argument that this quick treat has Italian roots. “A typical Sicilian breakfast is gelato on a brioche roll,” he said. “Ice cream for breakfast! Who isn’t going to love that?” Truth be told, for a dessert at Del Posto Mr. Headley would most likely use a preserved-cherry and stracciatella gelato, but its flavor and texture are not so far off from what you get with Ben & Jerry’s. So butter the bread, crisp it up in a pan, let it cool, then coat it with ice cream and smush it all together. “I finish it with olive oil because, in the words of the great chef Paul Bertolli, olive oil is the best sauce,” Mr. Headley said. He called the result “admittedly trashy, but wildly satisfying.” How could it not be? —Jeff Gordinier

Featured in: Restaurant Review: Superiority Burger in the East Village

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • 2slices white bread (preferably Pepperidge Farm)
  • 1cup gelato or ice cream (of your preference, but the author suggests Ben & Jerry’s Cherry Garcia), softened but not melting
  • 1teaspoon unsalted butter
  • Coarse sea salt
  • Extra-virgin olive oil
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

122 calories; 6 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 2 grams monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 15 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 8 grams sugars; 3 grams protein; 115 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Smear the bread with butter and sear in a cast-iron or nonstick pan until lightly caramelized and golden. Allow to cool a few minutes. Place the bread sear-side out on a work surface. Scoop the gelato onto one slice of bread and top with the other slice. Slice into 4 pieces and top with a drizzle with high quality extra-virgin olive oil and a light sprinkle of salt. Serve immediately, or hold in the freezer for up to one hour.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
133 user ratings
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Private Notes

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Cooking Notes

Pat Bagg

Big question: do you caramelize both sides of the bread?

Marah Newman

Easy and delicious. Should have used thicker white bread and caramelized the bread more. Also left the ice cream out a little too long. Sea salt and olive oil really make it pop, like a dessert grilled cheese.

DRC PGH

Terrific dessert, easy to assemble even after a big dinner with lots of wine. I bought sliced challah instead of P. Farm bread, added a little extra richness maybe? Guests loved it, both times.

Mariam

I made some delicious ice cream sandwiches a few weeks ago using lemon bread and banana bread that I had in the freezer. Used vanilla ice cream and the results were absolutely delicious. Easy and elegant!

Weslie

i made this as it sounded so interesting, and that it was. per suggestion, i cut the bread thicker, but i think i would go back to thin slices as it was a bit over whelming. i used cherry garcia, which is not my favorite, and i would love a suggestion of another flavor of ice cream to use.....rum raisin...hmmm don't like that either too much. guests all liked it. will do it again.

Cinda

These sandwiches didn’t produce the shock and awe I was hoping for. Very easy (if you remember to take out the frozen stuff). Very quick. We used many different kinds of filling. We tried lemon sorbet (my least favorite), Ben & Jerry’s Salted Caramel (my very favorite—the hunks of caramel get all gooey and melty), cinnamon gelato (really good and reminiscent of breakfast french toast), and Ben & Jerry’s Cherry Garcia (very rich and yummy). They were good—just not great.

L

Super yum!!! I will follow this up with another simple B and J's mod - that was inspired by Mozza olive oil ice cream. Grab the B and J's pistachio ice cream, top it with a good olive oil and flakey sea salt. Heaven.

Cinda

These sandwiches didn’t produce the shock and awe I was hoping for. Very easy (if you remember to take out the frozen stuff). Very quick. We used many different kinds of filling. We tried lemon sorbet (my least favorite), Ben & Jerry’s Salted Caramel (my very favorite—the hunks of caramel get all gooey and melty), cinnamon gelato (really good and reminiscent of breakfast french toast), and Ben & Jerry’s Cherry Garcia (very rich and yummy). They were good—just not great.

Ellen McManus

Love this recipe but I use a toasted brioche roll.!

libby koponen

"Wildly satisfying" is a good description! I hadn't had an ice-cream sandwich since I discovered I had celiac disease -- and this was even more delicious than the ones I remembered. I made mine with Schar's gluten-free multigrain "artisan" bread and plain old Hagaan-Daz vanilla ice-cream. It was one of the best desserts I've ever had....and as everyone has said, you can make it in a few minutes. Thank you Jeff!

Mariam

I made some delicious ice cream sandwiches a few weeks ago using lemon bread and banana bread that I had in the freezer. Used vanilla ice cream and the results were absolutely delicious. Easy and elegant!

Pat Bagg

Big question: do you caramelize both sides of the bread?

Hathasam

I would guess not, as the recipe mentions putting "the bread sear-side out on a work surface."

Peter

When he says "place the sear-side out," that is the confirmation that you only cook the one side.

DRC PGH

Terrific dessert, easy to assemble even after a big dinner with lots of wine. I bought sliced challah instead of P. Farm bread, added a little extra richness maybe? Guests loved it, both times.

Weslie

i made this as it sounded so interesting, and that it was. per suggestion, i cut the bread thicker, but i think i would go back to thin slices as it was a bit over whelming. i used cherry garcia, which is not my favorite, and i would love a suggestion of another flavor of ice cream to use.....rum raisin...hmmm don't like that either too much. guests all liked it. will do it again.

Marah Newman

Easy and delicious. Should have used thicker white bread and caramelized the bread more. Also left the ice cream out a little too long. Sea salt and olive oil really make it pop, like a dessert grilled cheese.

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Credits

Adapted from Brooks Headley

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