Sweet Onion Ice Cream Sandwich by Rachel Bossett

Pastry Chef, Dirt Candy, NYC

At Dirt Candy, every course – even dessert — highlights vegetables. For me, as a pastry chef, this means exploring flavors rarely seen on the sweet side of the menu. Onions in dessert can be challenging, so I chose to present them in a familiar, approachable format: an ice cream sandwich.

Yield: 12 sandwiches

Caramelized Onions

• 1 medium sweet onion
• 20 g neutral oil

1. Slice the onion in a food processor.
2. Heat the oil in a wide-bottomed pan over medium heat.
3. Add the onion slices, reduce the heat to low, and cook slowly, stirring frequently.
4. Continue until the onions are deeply caramelized and golden brown.

Sweet Onion Ice Cream

• 50 g caramelized onions
• 190 g heavy cream
• 605 g whole milk
• 26 g malted milk powder
• 16 g trimoline
• 4 g kosher salt
• 8 g vanilla paste
• 117 g granulated sugar
• 27 g glucose powder
• 7 g stabilizer
• 0.5 g guar gum

1. Steep the caramelized onions in the cream and milk for at least 30 minutes.
2. Strain and adjust the liquid to 795 g, if necessary.
3. Bring the infused dairy to a boil.
4. Add the malted milk powder and simmer for 2 minutes.
5. Stir in the salt and vanilla paste.
6. Whisk together the sugar, glucose powder, stabilizer, and guar gum.
7. Shear the dry mixture into the hot dairy.
8. Cook over medium heat to 198°F (92°C), stirring frequently.
9. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve.
10. Chill over an ice bath, then refrigerate overnight.
11. Churn in an ice cream machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Raspberry Chip Cookies

• 272 g unsalted butter, softened
• 341 g light brown sugar
• 3 g kosher salt
• 34 g milk powder
• 444 g all-purpose flour
• 8 g baking soda
• 36 g vanilla extract
• 279 g whole milk
• 165 g raspberry couverture, roughly chopped

1. Cream the butter, sugar, salt and milk powder until light and fluffy.
2. Mix in the flour and baking soda until fully combined.
3. Add the vanilla extract.
4. Stream in the milk and mix until a soft dough forms.
5. Fold in the couverture.
6. Scoop the dough with a 56 g (2 oz) scoop onto half-sheet pans, 6 per tray.
7. Bake at 325°F (163°C) for 10 minutes, rotating halfway through.
8. Once cooled, punch out rounds with a 3.5-inch (9 cm) cutter.

Onion-Balsamic Soft Filling (Caramel)

• ¼ small sweet onion, roughly chopped
• 500 g heavy cream, steeped with sweated onions
• 125 g balsamic vinegar
• 0.53 g xanthan gum
• 350 g glucose powder
• 65 g brown sugar
• 10 g vanilla paste
• Pinch kosher salt

1. Sweat the onion in a small amount of oil.
2. Deglaze with the cream, then bring to a boil.
3. Steep for 15 minutes.
4. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve.
5. Rewarm the cream and transfer it to a blender.
6. Blend the cream with the balsamic and xanthan gum until smooth.
7. Add the glucose, brown sugar, vanilla and salt. Blend until sugar dissolves.
8. Chill over an ice bath.
9. Transfer to a piping bag.

Raspberry Lambic Sauce

• 750 g raspberry lambic beer, divided
• 113 g granulated sugar
• 132 g raspberry purée
• Pinch kosher salt
• 15 g cornstarch

1. Combine 700 g of the beer with the sugar, purée and salt in a saucepan.
2. Heat to dissolve the sugar.
3. Whisk the cornstarch with the remaining 50 g of the beer to form a slurry.
4. Add the slurry to the mixture in the saucepan.
5. Bring to a boil and cook 1 minute.
6. Cool over an ice bath.

Assembly

1. Pipe the churned ice cream into Silikomart® “The Ring” molds.
2. Tap to settle; smooth with an offset spatula.
3. Freeze until solid.
4. Unmold the rings onto a flat sheet pan lined with a Silpat®.
5. Fill the center cavities with the Onion–Balsamic Soft Filling.
6. Freeze again until solid.
7. Sandwich one ice cream ring between two cookies. Freeze before proceeding.
8. Cut the sandwiches in half.
9. Refreeze to firm before plating.

Plating

1. Spoon 30 g (1 ounce) of the Raspberry Lambic Sauce into the bottom of a shallow bowl.
2. Place half an ice cream sandwich, cut side down, on the sauce.
3. Allow to temper briefly before serving.

Photos by Amanda Cohen.

(This recipe appeared in the Fall 2025 issue of Pastry Arts Magazine)