Knickerbocker Glory Recipe

That includes layers of vanilla ice cream, recent strawberries, swirls of whipped cream, and a fan wafer, the knickerbocker glory is a summer time staple at ice cream parlors and seaside cafés throughout the UK. I first encountered the knickerbocker glory again in 2019 once I moved to London to attend pastry college and started an ongoing quest to eat my approach via the repertoire of traditional British desserts. Although I found this sundae on the British facet of the Atlantic, its identify instantly jogged my memory of residence. Seems, there was cause for that psychological connection, as this dessert virtually definitely traces its roots to New York.

A Temporary Historical past of the Knickerbocker Glory

In his 1809 Historical past of New York, former US ambassador Washington Irving—writing underneath the pen identify Diedrich Knickerbocker—referred to descendants of town’s early Dutch settlers as “knickerbockers.” This can be why numerous New York buildings, companies, and landmarks, together with a Brooklyn subway station, a resort, a housing improvement, and naturally, town’s famous basketball team, have adopted this peculiar identify. As a New Yorker, I wasn’t shocked to be taught {that a} sundae referred to as the “knickerbocker glory” originated not in Britain however within the Huge Apple.

Though the precise historical past of the knickerbocker glory stays hazy, it possible dates again to the early twentieth century. A recipe for a similar dessert named “The Knickerbocker” seems in The Dispenser’s Formulary or Soda Water Information, a guide for soda fountain operators revealed in New York in 1915. With ice cream, chocolate syrup, raspberries, cherries, whipped cream, and rose essence “served in a tall, slim, 10 ounce, skinny glass,” the dish might very properly have been the blueprint for the knickerbocker glory that ultimately made its approach throughout the pond.

The London division retailer Fortnum & Mason claims it introduced the sundae to the country in the 1950s; the knickerbocker glory is so synonymous with the shop at the moment that it even sells sundae-shaped souvenirs. British newspaper commercials from the Twenties and Nineteen Thirties, nonetheless, reveal that the knickerbocker was round earlier than Fortnum & Mason put it on its menu. Writing for the Scottish newspaper The Press & Journal, editor Brian Stormont notes that it’s possible the dessert “first got here to prominence” in Twenties London, however wasn’t popularized till it appeared on the menu of American burger chain Wimpy’s, which opened its first British location in 1954 and offered the knickerbocker glory till 2011. 

In the present day, the London restaurant Dovetale gives an £18 ($23) “luxurious sundae” from a high-tech tableside trolley designed by rocket engineers and geared up with carbon dioxide jets. You definitely don’t want a elaborate trolley to make your personal knickerbocker glory at residence, although.

5 Suggestions for Making a Stellar Knickerbocker Glory

Like most simply customizable desserts, there’s no definitive recipe for the knickerbocker glory, however a traditional one sometimes consists of vanilla ice cream; a fruit purée, syrup, or coulis; recent fruit; swirls of whipped cream; and a fan wafer, all served in a tall glass with an extended metallic spoon.

Conventional variations, together with the enduring Fortnum & Mason providing, normally characteristic strawberries, raspberries, or a mix of the 2. The white ice cream and shiny purple berries create a striped sample thought to imitate the facade of the historic Knickerbocker Hotel in New York, or maybe the lengthy socks worn with one other US export, knickerbocker breeches. 

There’s loads of room for creativity, although, and it’s not unusual to see cooks layer in extra parts, like meringue, cake, marshmallows, or fruit jelly. Different extra trendy takes might embody poached rhubarb, roasted peaches, caramel sauce, brownie chunks, nut brittle, or honeycomb. There are even boozy variations with alcohol-infused fruit syrups and fudgy variations for chocolate lovers. With the guidelines beneath, you’ll be capable to make a spectacular knickerbocker glory to fit your tastes.

Collect your mise en place. As a result of we’re working with ice cream, time is of the essence; the primary key to success when making a knickerbocker glory is to have all of the parts able to go. As soon as the ice cream is softened, the fruit is diced and puréed, and the cream is whipped, you can begin assembling your knickerbocker glory instantly.

Soften the ice cream. For ice cream that blends simply with the berries and syrup for a swirly, striped look, you need it to be simply gentle sufficient to work with—not the agency scoops of ice cream you’d get straight out of the freezer. Purpose for scoopable however not fairly gentle serve consistency, and positively not runny. Any model or taste of ice cream will work, however conventional vanilla will possible complement the recent berries finest—and assist create the sundae’s signature red-and-white sample.

Make your personal fruit purée. You possibly can substitute store-bought strawberry sauce for those who’re brief on time, however it’s price taking a couple of minutes to make your personal, which is able to assist you to alter the sweetness of the purée as desired. We have written the sauce into the recipe beneath, and whereas it is fast to prep on the final minute, you can too make it as much as two days prematurely. 

Alternate your layers. For the prettiest sundae, alternate the syrup, fruit, and ice cream in a tall glass and use the lengthy parfait spoon to push the fruit and ice cream outward to the perimeters. A sundae glass is good and can assist you to admire your dessert, however for those who don’t have one, a tall consuming glass or jar will work too. 

Get inventive. Be at liberty to experiment with totally different fruits, sauces, and nuts or cookies for additional crunch. However for those who’d like to stay with the traditional model beneath, that’s completely superb, too. In spite of everything, you actually can’t go improper with the summery combo of vanilla ice cream, berries, and whipped cream.