Desserts

Just when you think you’ve seen it all in the world of live-fire cooking, a grill master confounds you afresh. Take, for instance, Mehman Huseynov, the hyperkinetic chef and TV star I’ve nicknamed the “Emeril” of Azerbaijan (you can read about him here). “The strangest thing I’ve ever grilled? Ice cream, ” he observed casually during an interview a few years ago at the sprawling Neolit restaurant in Baku. “Ice cream? I don’t believe it, ” I said, and as much to disprove my incredulity as to demonstrate a dish unique in the annals of barbecue, he promptly dipped balls of vanilla ice cream in beaten egg and shredded coconut, skewered them on flat metal skewers, then seared them so quickly over a raging hot fire, that the coconut crust browned while the ice cream in the center stayed frozen. Yes, it was grilled ice cream and yes, you’ll find the recipe here.