Fernanda Prado, Pastry Chef
In the land of taco, sweet tastes are rarely given the spotlight. But Fernanda Prado hopes to change all that with her Gelatoscopio, serving ice cream in unexpected flavours that keep taste buds on their toes.
Though Chilangos have healthy appe- tites, there’s still a world of taste they could more thoroughly explore: all things sweet. “These days, we eat very few desserts in Mexico. And when you do find them, they’re basic recipes using chocolate, vanilla or caramel,” explains Fernanda Prado. The pastry chef opened her shop, Gelatoscopio, in the Polanco district. “I make ice cream in unexpected flavours. For example, a sundae with peach and lavender, with a little bit of cotton candy, which Mexicans love. And I always add a pinch of salt to my recipes, just to make sure my customers are paying attention!” Pre-Hispanic civilisation only experienced sugar in the form of fruit or honey, but the Aztecs were eating ice cream long before the conquistadors arrived. “They were making nieves with snow gathered near the summit of the Popocatépetl volcano. The ice crystals were mixed with fresh fruit juice,” Fernanda explains. She serves a coffee-tinged sundae that’s a deli- cious embodiment of her vision: café con leche ice cream, caramelised almonds, cake morsels and amaretto espuma. “The coffee I use is Tanim de Chiapas Mexico, a Nespresso Limited Edition. I stocked up on it! This coffee has a velvety texture with brioche aromas and hazelnut notes.” The sweet specialist is well aware of Mexicans’ preference for the milk-added version. “But I refrained from serv- ing an ice cream version of café de olla [very sweet and cinnamon-flavoured — Ed.]. That would have been too obvious! For the same reasons I don’t make tequila or guacamole ice cream!” she chuckles. To help culinary habits evolve, Fernanda also works as an instructor at a pastry school: “Espaisucre Mexico was designed to train my fellow citizens in restaurant desserts. The next revolution will be sweet in more ways than one!”
