Malai Ice Cream and Book Pairings!
Malai ice cream shop is a relatively new neighbor on Smith Street, but boy are we glad they moved in! Since July is National Ice Cream Month, we thought this would be the perfect time to collaborate.
Besides supplying the most delicious flavors of ice cream, Malai is also hosting special guests throughout the summer for their Summer Guest Chef Series. Previous guests include Kristen Kish and Erin Jeanne McDowell. Next up is Maneet Chauhan on Sunday July 18, with a Chaat Sundae Pop Up on #NationalIceCreamDay. And don’t miss Hetal Vasavada, on July 22nd and 23rd, whose featured plated dish will be an Anise & Strawberry Panna Cotta featuring Malai's Star Anise Ice Cream and Hibiscus Chaat Masala Sorbet. Yum! We’ll be selling books at both events.
To celebrate the beauty of ice cream season and welcome this wonderful local business to the neighborhood, we’ve paired a few of their delicious ice cream flavors with mouth-watering reads! The perfect summer pairings if you ask us.
Check out all of Malai’s flavors and events and make sure to stop by their storefront at 268 Smith Street in Brooklyn to try these sweet treats!
Rose with Cinnamon Roasted Almonds
Milk Blood Heat by Dantiel W. Moniz
Malai describes this as: “Our most popular flavor! Sweet, floral, and spiced - there is nothing that this ice cream doesn’t hit.” I think this flavor description matches this book perfectly! This collection hits every mark for me, it’s sticky and sweet but also has a surprising edginess to it, a spiciness if you will! And on top of that, it fits the popularity criteria perfectly—all our faves and our faves’ faves have praised this incredible collection, including: Roxane Gay, Lauren Groff, T Kira Madden, Kristen Arnett, Rumaan Alam, the list goes on! You won’t regret adding these satisfying, sultry stories (set in the Sunshine State!) to your summer reading list, trust me. — Serena
Sea Salt Vanilla
Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo
This tightly woven novella is a high fantasy with plenty of tense politics. But unlike your standard Eurocentric fantasy fare, the setting is reminiscent of imperial China, and the most important player is a queer brown woman, alone (seemingly) in a hostile, foreign court. A classic court fantasy with multiple, very satisfying twists. — Shulokhana
Red Chili Chocolate
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Mexican Gothic is a decadent, atmospheric gothic horror novel with a slow burn romance, amateur sleuthing, and some real scary stuff. Much like Malai’s Red Chili Chocolate flavor, it is dark, seductive, and thrilling in the way that the secrets (and flavor) continue to build, culminating in a truly satisfying experience. The frequent imagery of red throughout Mexican Gothic, from Noemi’s glamorous red lips to the horrifying dreams of blood, could even serve as an ode to the red chilis, perhaps? Spicy. Addictive. And a little scary? A perfect summer combo in my mind. — Colleen
Confetti Sweet Milk
Here For It by R Eric Thomas
Confetti Sweet Milk was created in celebration of Malai’s one year anniversary, and Here For It is a celebration of self-acceptance. In this essay collection, Thomas explores intense topics such as reconciling his Christian faith with his sexuality; navigating life between his rich, mostly white high school and his conservative, black church; and covering the 2016 election for Elle online. Thomas emphasizes the importance of putting yourself first and finding joy in coming out on the other side of your struggles. There is celebration in overcoming the odds and carving a future out for oneself. And let’s be honest, everyone can use a little extra confetti in their lives! — Lindsay
Orange Fennel
When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain by Nghi Vo
When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain is beauty and the beast - if beauty is a cunning woman who is pretty dedicated to looking out for herself and the beast is a buff shape-shifting tiger lady who is always this close to eating her beloved. It’s “familiar, yet surprising,” just like its flavor pairing. Plus, the cover goes perfectly with the ice-cream! — Shulokhana
Black Forest
The Illogic of Kassel by Enrique Vila-Matas
The main character of this book is a reclusive author who gets invited to take part in documenta, the contemporary art festival held in Kassel, Germany every five years. He is told that he will be an exhibit, writing every morning in a Chinese restaurant on the outskirts of town. During his trip he wanders around the town and takes a trip to the Black Forest, observing everything around him. Vila-Matas is a master of literary irony. — Nick
Masala Chai
Pride, Prejudice, And Other Flavors by Sonali Dev
Trisha comes from an immigrant Indian family and has risen to become San Francisco's most acclaimed neurosurgeon. DJ is an up-and-coming chef who is offered a job by Trisha’s family that is almost too good to be true. The two clash immediately, but dire circumstances continue to keep them in close proximity and slowly their initial assumptions start to dissolve. Masala Chai is described as “a little sweet, and a little spicy,” just like our two lovely leads Trisha and DJ! — Lindsay
Lemon Cardamom
Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro
Just as the sun does for Klara in Ishiguros’ newest novel, Lemon Cardamom will brighten and energize your day. Klara and the Sun is a beautiful meditation on what it means to love and to be loved in return. Is there a way to contain that love so you can never lose it—is it so simple that it can be defined and quantified, or is it so intangible that it’s impossible to even measure it? The dreamy writing told through the eyes of an “Artificial Friend” will be as unexpected as this flavor. Plus how cute is it that the cover is reminiscent of holding this delicious ice cream in the palm of your hand. — Anthony
Baklava
Turkish Delight by Jan Wolkers, trans. Sam Garrett
Turkish delight and baklava pair deliciously as desserts (both from Turkey) - but in this case Turkish Delight is a scrumptious book. This 1969 Dutch to English translation recounts an obsessive and doomed, erotic love affair between the narrator, sculptor, and fiery red-headed woman. It’s incredibly risqué but balanced with tender loving moments. Malai describes their baklava flavor as “sweet, nutty, buttery” — I can’t help but laugh because well, Turkish Delight is sometimes sweet, absolutely nutty, and especially buttery… *wink* — Jacque
Check out all of Malai’s flavors and events and make sure to stop by their storefront at 268 Smith Street in Brooklyn.
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