Frozen, toasted & better than an ashtray full of icicles.

You are looking at the Toasted Marshmallow milkshake, a product of Stand 4, a hamburger joint near NYU in Manhattan. Photographed by friend and fellow-sugar-addict Piper Blouin, this dessert holds many wonderful secrets waiting to be found by eager taste buds.

Make no mistake this is not a vanilla milkshake with marshmallows floating in it; this is a creamy liquid marshmallow. It has a slightly rough texture, attributed to the grey and brown flecks present throughout. These are the source of the genuine toasted flavor that makes the dessert tasty and memorable.

"Is there liquid smoke in this?" I ask Brandon, our wonderful waiter. No, he assures me; the cooks at Stand 4 toast hundreds of marshmallows every day. These are then blended/food processed/molecularly bonded with vanilla gelato to create the fabulous frozen/burnt paradox every mouth can enjoy.

I got my answer. To get that unmistakable toasted flavor, the key is including actual toasted things (unlike certain would be toasted marshmallow desserts). But that doesn't stop me from wanting to create an ice cream flavor that uses liquid smoke!