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After growing up as a child in a suburban Midwestern town, a few foods trigger instant summer nostalgia for me. Ice cream cones. Grilled corn on the cob. Fresh, juicy watermelon. Shaved ice.
Once a week during summer break, my sisters and I would make the mile walk to the local shaved ice stand that popped up every summer in the parking lot of a local gas station. Strawberry-watermelon-coconut (aka tiger’s blood, IYKYK) for my oldest sister, root beer for the middle sister and half blue-raspberry, half green apple for me, please. Little could compare to ending a long day of pool time with a combination of chilly flecks of ice and ultra-sweet fruity syrup. Each spoonful was cloying yet refreshing all at once, and was exactly the sugar high that every grade schooler craves.
Now that I’m in my 30s and my taste buds have evolved with my travels and flavor explorations at home, summers taste likeChocolate-Dipped Strawberry Greek Yogurt Bites, bountiful bowls of panzanella,Lemon Frozen Yogurt Ripieno… and 100%, always and forever, the aforementioned ice cream. That said, I’m far from abandoning that side of me that swoons over shaved ice.
But now, I’m excited to renovate that old favorite to act as a new addition to my grown-up summer culinary bucket list, thanks to Frankie Gaw (@littlefatboyfrankie). The digital creator focuses on sharing “nostalgic recipes that will make your tummy full and my ancestors scream,” and is the author ofFirst Generation: Recipes from My Taiwanese-American Home. He also appears to be one of the first to share a brilliant dairy-free, one-ingredient shaved ice dessert that’s currently taking over social media.
Now that I see that this is such a no-sweat dessert idea—and already have these5 best frozen fruits to eat every week, according to dietitianson my subscribe-and-save supermarket shopping list—I can’t wait to dream up my own combos. I’m off to round up some shaved sturdy fruits (such as peaches, mangoes, papaya and banana) and toppings like mini dark chocolate chips, crushed graham crackers, chopped nuts, tahini and maybe some rainbow sprinkles. Hey, I’m not ashamed to admit that the sugar-loving child is still hiding inside!
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