When we hear the word truffle used in the context of dessert, our brains automatically imagine chocolate truffles. I was recently thrown for a loop, though, when I heard of a dessert that incorporated the other kind of truffle. These exquisite rare mushrooms, which garnish only the finest and most expensive dishes at restaurants, have apparently entered into the sweets scene.

Creole Creamery's White Chocolate Truffled Popcorn ice cream in New Orleans. Photo by Jenny Sklar.

Earlier this month at the Creole Creamery, Chef Bryan Gilmore introduced a new flavor: White Chocolate Truffled Popcorn. This experimental ice cream flavor incorporates aromatic truffle oil, white chocolate, and yes, popcorn. I am a HUGE truffle oil lover. The smell, the taste—I swear that stuff can get me high. But truffle oil in dessert? Pretty daring idea. As soon as I heard word of this lovely creation I rushed out to the Creamery to try it for myself, fearing that it might be a recipe for disaster. Luckily, I was proven wrong once again. Gilmore blows my mind time and time again with his strange ice cream concoctions. First the Foie Gras ice cream and now this…how he translates these gourmet savory ingredients into ice cream is beyond me, but I think this one has finally proven to me that I should stop doubting and just start eating.

White Chocolate Truffled Popcorn may actually be my favorite flavor I’ve ever had at the Creole Creamery (even more than Lavender Honey, which everyone should try if they have not yet). It was truly phenomenal; somehow the aroma of the truffle oil stayed intact, even in ice cream form, and the subtle flavor of white chocolate complemented the truffle perfectly. It was an interesting twist on the sweet-savory dynamic, and the texture was phenomenal. It maintained the decadent butter-cream consistency of most Creamery flavors and the popcorn added a nice crunch to it. Take all that and stick it on a homemade waffle cone and whew! You will almost literally be in heaven! All for under 5 dollars, definitely the lowest price for truffle oil-infused cuisine in the city.

To find this odd treat and others check out their parlors Uptown on Prytania Street and in Lakeview on Vicksburg Street. The Uptown institution tends to have the crazier concoctions, but the Lakeview location has all the Creamery’s classic flavors: Black and Gold Crunch, Creole Cream Cheese, Chockwork Orange, and more. Both are open from noon to 10 p.m., seven days a week, and the Uptown location stays open until 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. As they like to say at the Creamery, “Eat Ice Cream. Be Happy.”