American Screwball Dessert (Hickory’s) By @Cinabar

We’ve been going to Hickory’s a little more often than usual recently, as it’s one of our favourite restaurants. They’ve just launched their Autumn/Winter menu, and the Gumbo is back, always a highlight. It’s a hearty stew with sausage, chicken, rice, and beans, and it’s a firm favourite of ours. It returns every year and never disappoints.

We don’t usually order dessert, but today we decided to make an exception when I spotted the American Screwball on the menu. When it arrived, it looked fantastic, ice cream covered in red and blue sauce, with white marshmallows completing the colours of the American flag.

A British ice cream Screwball usually hides a gobstopper at the bottom, but this version didn’t. Instead, it featured plenty of fro-co (frozen custard, or vanilla ice cream) and lots of marshmallows, which made it fun to eat. The red sauce was fruity, while the blue had a more tangy, sour edge. I suspect the blue colour might have come from melted sprinkles, though I can’t be sure. Either way, it was bright, cheerful, and very enjoyable.

By the end of the dessert, I realised my tongue was blue, which made me laugh. It’s nice to be reminded you’re still young at heart sometimes!