Each boat-shaped dish held scoops of vanilla and chocolate ice cream beneath thick blankets of chocolate syrup and creamy marshmallow sauce. Mounds of whipped cream rose on top, with a juicy red maraschino cherry at the very peak. Crunchy cookies poked like wings from each side.

The steam was thicker than expected and surprisingly easy to scoop up. Inside her mouth it swelled twice its original size and then burst into a series of delicate favors: savory cream sauce, then toasted cheese, and finally vanilla ice cream with a tinge of hazelnut.