Ice cream is usually something you crave — not fantasize about. That is unless you’re Bianca Simonian, who turns her dreams into delicious reality at Kreem, the quaint ice cream shop she owns and operates on East Palm Canyon Drive in Palm Springs.
Simonian’s unconventional flavors reveal the alchemy at work in her mind. On any given day, Simonian and her all-female team serve up such flavors as Lavender Coffee and Vegan Turmeric-Ginger. Her signature creation — and a local fave — is Lemon Meringue Pie.
The process to craft her citrusy extravaganza begins with a careful toasting of marshmallows until they are perfectly pillowy soft and nicely golden. Those go into a freezer for a quick siesta to cool down to room temperature. Meanwhile, fresh lemons are zested, a process that yields the fruit’s natural oils and its most intense flavor component. Then, the fun part: “We crumble up shortbread cookies,” Simonian explains.
Next, comes the ice cream. To keep the exact details proprietary, Simonian will only say that she makes a lemon custard base by hand. Into that goes the zest, marshmallows, and shortbread crumbles. “It sets overnight for the flavors and ice cream to meld,” Simonian says. And then? It’s like a slice of luscious lemon meringue pie — except it melts in your mouth. “It’s not tart,” she says. “It’s creamy sweet.”
The preferred way to enjoy the flavor, which frequently sells out, is in a freshly torched marshmallow fluff waffle cone. The result is toastiness, creaminess, cloud-like softness, and a bit of tanginess blanketed in a fluffy note. One lick demands another until — the next thing you know — it’s all gone.
For more information visit ilovekreem.com.