I kind of came up with this recipe on a whim, I had found GINGER ICE CREAM at the grocery store and was ecstatic about it! This dessert originates from Asia.  Shaved ice consists of ice shavings and is usually topped with various types of sweet beans, jellies, or fruit and drizzled with sugar syrup and condensed milk.  It probably sounds pretty strange for ones who’ve never tried it, but it’s a smorgasbord of different textures and flavors which is why this is one of my favorite desserts.

For this recipe I put shaved ice in the bottom with a scoop of ginger ice cream and topped it with tapioca, fresh raspberries, watermelon and mandarin oranges.  I also placed a small dollop of coconut milk on top as a substitute for condensed milk, it really brought the flavors of the ginger and fruit together. In every spoon full you get the crunch of the ice, the chewiness of the tapioca, then the creaminess of the ice cream and the wonderful flavors of the fruit — see? Smorgasbord

Ingredients for Shaved Ice:

• 1 cup ice cubes, crushed or shaved
• 1 pint Hagen Daaz Ginger Ice Cream
• 1/4 cup tapioca, boiled
• 1/4 cup fresh watermelon, cubed
• 1 can canned mandarin oranges
• 1 pint red raspberries
• 4 tablespoons coconut milk
• honey to taste

For the shaved ice, place the crushed or shaved ice at the bottom of the bowl.  Top with a scoop of ginger ice cream.  Garnish with fresh fruit and tapioca and finish with a spoonful of coconut milk.  You can drizzle the top with honey if you would like to add more sweetness!

For those of you who are wondering, Tapioca is a starch that is extracted from a plant called Cassava Root.  You can find tapioca at the Asian market.  I bought ones that have been pre-cooked and they come out just the same as the dried tapioca (it saves you a lot of time and effort).  For the precooked tapioca all you have to do is boil water and allow the tapioca to cook for 5 minutes.  They become soft and have a gummy-bear like consistency.