Bar Crème Smashed Strawberry Float; Photography by Libby Volgyes

The menu at Bar Crème offers guests different ways to create a Jeffersonian dish. There’s a made-to-order option, where you pick a pastry, a sauce and toppings.

The menu is also full of composed dishes designed and executed by pastry chefs. They’re assembled when you order them, the bananas flambeed on the spot. The toppings sound like a year’s worth of dessert specials from a fine dining restaurant: Chambord blueberry compote, “sweet-and-tart” cherries cooked in brandy, bourbon pecan peaches and a chocolatey caramel churro.

Sure, the dishes are decadent monuments, with an average price tag of $12. But this is a place to finish the night with something far more dramatic than watching a teenager drop a scoop of gelato into a paper cup. Ziegenhardt imagines his ice cream parlor as a destination, where the creation of the dish is as sweet as the taste.

“A lot of it is about the show,” Ziegenhardt says. “It’s about the excitement of seeing this dish come together right in front of you.”

BAR CRÈME SMASHED STRAWBERRY FLOAT

• 2 scoops of vanilla ice cream
• 1 small bottle of botanical soda
• 2 tablespoons Bar Crème smashed strawberries
• 1 whole strawberry to garnish

PREPARATION: Add 2 tablespoons of Bar Crème smashed strawberries to the bottom of a glass and top with vanilla ice cream. Do not pack the scoops into the glass; allow room for soda to reach the smashed strawberries. Slice whole strawberry and garnish rim of glass. Pour sparkling soda over ice cream until covered and serve immediately with a straw and a spoon.

Bar Crème Smashed Strawberries

• ½ quart fresh, rinsed strawberries
• ¼ cup raw sugar
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped mint leaves
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

PREPARATION: Hull, slice and toss strawberries with sugar until coated and sugar has dissolved. Sprinkle with mint leaves, cover and allow berries to macerate in fridge for 2 hours. Stir mixture once or twice in this time to help release berries’ natural juices. Transfer macerated strawberries to a saucepan and cook, gently stirring, over medium heat until mixture has softened and juices release. Bring mixture to a soft boil and cook for 6 to 8 minutes longer. Remove mixture from heat and add lemon juice and vanilla. Cover and refrigerate smashed strawberries until ready to assemble your float.

Treat yourself to a Bar Crème Burnt Honey and Lavender Sundae