Blockheads It's one of the more unusual frozen desserts on the block: snow cream. “It's really light, but it's not icy. It's really thin, ribbon-like layers, but melts in your mouth with a creamy taste,� co-owner and co-founder Alex Yu said. Yu, who graduated from UCLA in 2001, started Blockheads Shavery Co. with two childhood friends in November 2011. They were originally inspired by a classic Taiwanese dessert that features shaved ice, but wanted to update and modernize it. Instead of ice, Blockheads uses their signature dairy-based frozen blocks, off of which they shave almost impossibly thin slices for each order. Snow cream flavors include the milky original and the more unexpected, yet very popular, black sesame. Toppings range from the traditional red bean to strawberries and mangos. The snow cream is all at once rich and refreshing; while the flavor hearkens back to ice cream, the flakiness lends the texture a quick, melt-in-your-mouth airiness. Top: To form shaved snow, a block of frozen cream is spun and shaved into thin ribbons. Middle: The shaving process produces a uniquely light and delicate dessert. Bottom: Different toppings and drizzles are available to customize each bowl of shaved snow.
Prime | Winter 2012 | 21