Seafood and ice cream is not a combination on many menus — but the team at Patti’s & Cream felt it was time for the two ingredients to come together.
The Dunedin dessert restaurant’s owner, Olive Tabor, is part of a city delegation to national tourism conference Trenz in Rotorua this week.
They wanted to share some of the city’s culinary delights with the Rotorua audience and decided to work with Southern Clams and local restaurant Moiety on their latest concoction.
It would join the variety of "savoury" flavours on the menu, she said.
There was a lot of "back and forth" before they settled on the clam and tomato-flavoured ice cream recipe.
"We had a couple of other ideas — we actually did try to make a cheese roll ice cream as well, but it just didn’t work.
"Chef Sam Gasson has got access to some pretty unique equipment at his restaurant Moiety — so there was a lot of deliberation on getting this right."
They had considered turning the ice cream into a smoked clam powder, but the tomato "just came together".
"We wanted to bring a bit of Otepoti into the ice cream," Ms Tabor said.
"It’s just trying to bring something that’s palatable, that people are going to enjoy and that’s interesting.
"That’s definitely the most challenging part.
"It’s a bit of a project trying to do this at the same time when you’re running a busy restaurant and a busy shop."
Other Patti’s & Cream ice cream flavours on display at Trenz will be Emerson’s London porter and spicy peanuts, and No 8 Distillery gin and plum sorbet.
"If you’ve got a great project, and can work with others, then go for it.
"I think we take for granted how many creative people there are in Dunedin, and how easy it is to make a connection with them.
"There’s so much opportunity for collaboration."
The flavours would be on the menu at her stores in the city centre and Mornington shortly.
In the meantime, she had "lots of ideas" for other flavours.
"Watch this space — who knows what could come next?"
matthew.littlewood@odt.co.nz and Saraia Allais
