Ice cream just got a little more interesting, thanks to Manuel Linares, who has successfully turned the international popular summer treat into a color-changing dessert.
During a course on ice cream making, Linares, who was a physicist and engineer before becoming a cook, decided he wanted to make a color-changing version of the treat. His course instructor laughed at him, but Linares prevailed by successfully creating an ice cream that changes from blue to a purplish-pink as it melts.
Naming his new creation "Xamaleon" (which means "chameleon"), Lenares claims that the ice cream is made from all-natural ingredients, meaning that the color changes probably aren't caused by any added chemical ingredients.
"As a physicist I know that there are various possibilities that might work and I was delighted when I managed to crack it and create an ice cream that changes color," he says.
Although Lenares refuses to release the full details of the recipe, he has divulged some of the ice cream's ingredients: strawberries, banana, pistachio, vanilla, caramel, cocoa and almonds. Those who've tasted it describe it as similar to tutti-frutti.
Whatever it is that makes Xamaleon take on its unique color-changing properties remains a mystery, at least until Lenares secures a patent. All he'll admit is that he uses what he calls a "love elixir" that gets sprayed on the ice cream after it is made. Temperature change affects acids in the ice cream and triggers a response that tells it to change colors.
"I am a huge fan of the British ice cream genius Charlie Francis, the creator of a fluorescent ice and founder of the company Lick Me Delicious, and I wanted to create an ice cream that changed colour to try and do something new as well," Lenares said.
Xamaleon has become very popular at Lenares' ice cream business in Spain. If you're looking to find this ice cream where you live, though, don't fret: Lenares hopes to soon expand business across the ocean.
Lenares has other plans for ice cream, too, including a flavor that changes color when exposed to ultraviolet light. Forget tired old ice cream flavors like "Rocky Road and "Cookie Dough," your next cold and creamy treat may glow under UV light, perhaps making it popular in European discotheques and making your summer parties a lot more fun.
