Milkjam Creamery - Pillow Talk

Pillow Talk - Strawberry Sorbet with Cardamom Meringue

I went to the Milkjam Creamery in Minneapolis the other day to pick up a pint or two and I ran into this interesting flavor.  It's called Pillow Talk and it is a strawberry sorbet with a cardamon meringue.  I have always been fascinated by cardamom -- it adds aromaticity to other flavors yet I'm always struggling to put my finger on its own flavor.  Maybe it will be potent enough here.  This is the first time that I've seen cardamom paired with strawberry.  I have seen a lot of things paired with strawberry before as a way to numb its strong flavor -- several use cream cheese or cheesecake, balsamic vinegar is not uncommon, and I've also seen rhubarb and tarragon.  I am excited to add cardamom to the list.  Here a sorbet is used to deliver the strawberry, but interestingly this pint is not 'vegan' because meringue is made with egg whites.

The flavor name is fun and cheeky.  Depending on your demographic, it could refer to a #1 single by Zayn from 2016 or the 1959 Doris Day/Rock Hudson movie.  I suppose there are a lot of people in between those two age groups -- including myself.  Anyhow, enough talk, let's eat!

Removing the lid, the top of the pint is gorgeous!  I don't know how else to describe it other than to redirect you to the picture below.  The strawberry sorbet has a pink color almost reminiscent of salmon.  Then there is lots of meringue marbling on top of the pint.  And I am immediately hit with the smell of cardamom.  This is very cool!  Digging in, I am hit right away with the flavor of cardamom in the meringue.  This is strongest dose of cardamom I've gotten in an ice cream flavor.  The meringue itself is otherwise very tangy.  Then I encounter the strawberry sorbet which is flavorful and surprisingly tart -- I see a sweet strawberry more often, but strawberries can be tart as well.  The cardamom does a good job of cutting the tartness of the sorbet.  As I eat my way down the pint, there is not as much meringue as there was on the very top, but there is still enough to taste.  Also, the effects of the cardamom go down as I continue eating.  No doubt it is still there, but my taste buds adjusted after that powerful first taste.

This was an extremely interesting pint from Milkjam Creamery.  Lots of great ideas here.  Mixing a sorbet with a meringue is fun.  I know it doesn't make it vegan anymore when you do that, but it is still dairy free.  Making the sorbet tart and the meringue tangy is quite fun on my tongue as well.  I'd be curious to try other sorbet/meringue combinations.  Mixing strawberry with cardamom is quite interesting as well.  I prefer ice cream over sorbet so this would not be a personal favorite pint for me -- the flavors were fairly intense too -- but it sure was a cool experiment.  If you're up for a bold and unique twist of flavor combinations, then check this one out.