Shaved ice is technically frozen water that has been shaved (or crushed) into a fluffy pile, then flavored with syrups and such. But what if instead of shaving (boring, inherently flavorless) frozen water, you tried shaving (exciting, colorful, pleasingly tart) frozen fruit? That’s exactly what Frankie Gaw of Little Fat Boy did, and the results are utterly charming.
Get the (minimal) tools you’ll need to make this frozen treat:
As Gaw explains in his recipe, you can make this frozen treat with any frozen fruit—even the bagged stuff you buy for your smoothies. Other than that, all you need is a microplane (or any fine grater) and sweetened condensed milk. He even made a version using whole, peeled oranges he froze himself.
For extra frostiness, pop your empty bowl in the freezer for a few minutes to prolong the life of the fluffy shaved fruit. Once your bowl is chilled, grab your fruit (I used frozen free stone peaches) and your microplane, and grate the fruit over the bowl.
Photo: Claire Lower
Once your fruit is shaved, it’s time for the sweetened condensed milk (or sweetened condensed coconut milk, if you’re avoiding dairy). As you can see from the video above, Gaw takes a delicate approach with the milk, whereas I decided to pour it directly from the can, because I am as short on patience as I am in stature. (Gaw’s condensed milk also seems a lot thinner than mine, and I’m not sure why.)
Photo: Claire Lower
From there, you can add nuts, sprinkles, spices, herbs, or anything else you’d like to eat on an icy, creamy pile of fruit and dairy. I kept mine plain and have no complaints. (It tasted kind of like peach ice cream, my summer favorite.) Gaw says peanuts give strawberry ice a “PB&J” vibe, and I want to try mango with puffed rice, a nod to mango sticky rice, my favorite Thai dessert. I’m also intrigued by Gaw’s combination of orange ice, pistachio, and mint. (I just realized I have all of those things; guess it’s time to freeze an orange.)
