Malt Is In

Pichet Ong is making Ovaltine milkshakes at Spot Dessert bar in NYC, there are beets with malt on the menu at Portland, Oregon's Castagna Restaurant, and lots of places, including Fond restaurant in Philadelphia, are serving malted milk ice cream.

What is malt, and is it the same stuff in malted milk balls, you may ask? Why, yes! It's a sweetish syrup or powder made from barley that's been sprouted, then dried. Barley that's gone through that process is known as "malted" barley, and it's used to make beer. So when you're eating something that has malt in it, it's kind of like you're eating beer.

Malted milk is just powdered milk that's been mixed with malt. Horlicks and a couple of flavors of Ovaltine both contain malt. Carnation also makes a malt mix, in chocolate and plain flavors. Any of these three can be added to ice cream or baked goods for that grainy-sweet malty taste. You can buy pure dry malt online, too. Here is a recipe for chocolate malted milkshakes that calls for Ovaltine.

Image courtesy of CHOW.com